Dangling Threads
by mikejacobs9999
Summary: Picking up one week after the events of the movie, this story looks into the little things left unresolved in the movie and rarely if ever discussed in other writings. a hint of Kristanna, and touch of Frohana, but mostly taking a fresh look at the world of Frozen.
1. Chapter 1 - The Business of Arendelle

**Chapter 1 – The Business of Arendelle**

Kristoff stared into his palm where five gold coins baring the profile of the late King Agdar stared back at him. It was rare for Kristoff to have this much money at one time, and he had more than twice as much more in his money pouch. "Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer" Anna called it, his new job, obviously made up. But they were _actually_ paying him _actual_ money for it. Twenty gold kroner, just to stock up on supplies, and that's _after_ replacing his sled,

"ahem, sir… 2 kroner, 25 øre." Apparently, the shop stand clerk, a middle-aged woman with dark hair on her head and an annoyed look on her face, had been trying to get his attention for a little while. Kristoff gave an apologetic grin and handed over three coins.

With his change and fresh provisions, Kristoff returned to Sven and his sled, his _new Official Ice Master and Deliverer _sled, and started packing his gear. He was still getting used the changes… only one week ago, he was alone in the mountains, harvesting ice, just scratching by; and then all the craziness, the freeze, the snowman, the Queen, the big snowman, and Anna. He got stuck on that last thought. Anna.

"Bjorgman!" a man's voice called out.

Kristoff looked up. It was a man, a bit older that Kristoff himself, dressed like an ice harvester, but no gear. He looked a bit familiar, but Kristoff couldn't place his name. "Uh, yeah?"

"Henriksen wants to see you." Hendricksen, the head of the Ice Harvesters guild. Probably not a good thing.

"Oh. OK." Kristoff dropped the rest of the supplies in the back of the sled, "Just let me take care of this-"

"Just head over there. I'll bring your sled and… _animal_." Sven, distractedly chewing on some hay, gave the man a studied glare.

"Over there" was the _Ice House_, a tavern where ice harvesters usually gathered and stayed while in town. It was also the unofficial headquarters of the _Ice Harvesters and Carvers Guild_, of which Lars Henriksen has been the guildmaster for the last ten years. The _Ice House_ was about five minutes' walk from the market, just inside the gate that opened to the mountain road.

Kristoff entered the tavern. He hadn't been here for over a year, but it looked the same. It had a large commons area, with worn tables scattered around, the bar at the back, next to stairs leading to the upper floor where the rooms were. A fireplace was at either end of the commons, with ice-harvesting gear hanging over them. The hearths were not lit, likely due to the recent run on firewood during the "Big Freeze" (that's what people were calling it.) Guild-master Henriksen held court at the table in front of the left fireplace.

Lars Henriksen was in his mid-fifties, thin, sharp features, gray hair, and had, of course, one leg. Kristoff's father told him the story when he was little. Henriksen was a master ice harvester, one of the best. Really knew his ice and the mountain, and Kristoff's father respected him for that. By the time he was thirty, he was leading teams for the guild. A real company-man, Kristoff's father had said. His father had never actually said it, but Kristoff got the feeling that his father and Henriksen didn't get along, since Henricksen was all about the guild, and Krisoff's father usually worked solo. But it never came to any kind of conflict, just a general disagreement as to how to do business. Or that's what he told his young son.

About fifteen years ago, it was during what should have been an ordinary job, early spring, when the demand for ice for export starts picking up. Six men, a horse, and a cart, heading for the upper peaks, where the ice never quite melts. But winter had been long, and the wolves were hungry. They don't normally approach ice-men when they're working, and lit torches and a crossbow bolt or two will keep even the most daring wolves away. The sun was setting and they had a full cart, so it was time to start the return trip. The wolves would usually just follow the crew and cart, but not approach, but not this time. A few jumped out in front of the horse, which spooked. A fully loaded cart won't topple, it's too weighted down, but in the jostling, a rope came loose, and some of the great bricks of ice slid off. And one found Lars Henriksen's right leg, crushing it.

It had to be amputated, of course, and he lost his leg from just above his knee. This would be a career-ender for most men, but not Henriksen. After losing his leg, he suffered an ailment for two months, and almost died from that. But Freya would not admit him to Folkvang. Once he recovered, he had a new leg made for himself, out of wood and iron. One end to strap to his stump, and an ice pick on the other. He worked the ice for three more years, only retiring when old Rangvold passed, and almost everyone insisted Henriksen take over as guild-master.

So, standing across the table from where the other man sat, Kristoff knew this was no one to mess with.

"Kristoff, sit down," Henricksen waved at a chair, and pushed a mug over to Kristoff's side of the table, "Have a drink. Let's talk."

Kristoff sat and took a drink from the mug. It was the house draught, the cheap stuff.

Henricksen held up something in his hand, inspecting it. "So, _Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer_. That's something, isn't it?" It was the pendant that Sven was wearing when Anna presented him with his new sled, which he had stored _in_ the sled last he checked.

"Yeah, um, that's just something Princess Anna made up. I really don't—"

"It's all right, " Henricksen interrupted, waving his other hand. "It's good. When the castle needs ice, the guild normally takes care of it. If they want to you to deliver it now, that's fine. And with the gates open again, they will be needing a lot more, and when it's more than you can handle, you know who to talk to." He tapped the table, as if to punctuate his point.

He slid the pendant back over to Kristoff and continued, "The business of Arendelle is ice. Without it, we would be just another fishing village. But we have our pure mountains springs and crystal clear lakes, ready access to the heights from the city, and ready access to the shipping lanes from the fjord. Ideal for our special commodity. Sure, a few other places export their own ice, but no others can match Arendelle's quantity or quality. And it has made our _lendmen_ into kings and queens."

Kristoff wondered where Henricksen's lecture was leading. He knew about the springs and lakes and roads, of course, his father taught him when he was young, and he has been living amongst it all since he'd been on his own. He didn't know so much about sending ice to other kingdoms, since he normally sold his ice in the city and the other towns in the valley. But Henricksen hardly needed to tell Kristoff how important ice was. Ice was his life.

"And so, the Queen… that was some weather we had this last week, hmm?" Henricksen turned to Kristoff, looking for a reaction, but Kristoff just stared back. "Middle of summer, the fjord freezes, ice and snow cover the town, all the way into the mountains. That's quite a feat for our dear Queen Elsa."

Kristoff stood suddenly and angrily. "Don't talk about her like that! It was a stressful day, and she couldn't help it, and people were trying to kill her!" He realized that argument was a bit scattered, but he couldn't let Henricksen talk like that about Anna's sister!

But Henricksen was waving his hands at Kristoff to interrupt his rant. "Kristoff, Kristoff, stop." He gestured for him to sit back down, which Kristoff slowly did.

"You misunderstand me. I think it's great," Henricksen explained. Kristoff gazed back, a little confused.

"Look, first off all, I have the greatest respect for our royal family. My father and King Yorril, Agdar's father, before he was king, served together in the Friesian Campaigns. My father was Yorril's batman, and they saved each other's lives several times over. And his son, King Agdar was quite the gentleman. Arendelle suffered a great injury when we lost Agdar and Irdun."

Henricksen continued, "The queen has magic. Sure, magic is everywhere, it seems. Every family has their _Fairy Godmother_ story, and you can find an ogre or a mermaid if you look hard enough." _Or a troll_, Kristoff studiously did _not_ say aloud.

"But Queen Elsa is the Ice and Snow Queen, right? The Queen of _Arendelle_ has the magic power to create _snow and ice_. Is that not perfect? We should put a picture of her lovely face on the packing of all ice leaving our shores."

Henricksen paused, his enthusiasm trailing off.

"But then that's also the problem, isn't it? What is her majesty planning to do with her powers? That ice rink was a lovely piece of work. We certainly could not have done that, not in the summer, so no risk to our livelihood in that. But what else? Freeze a few lowland lakes in the summer? Makes for some easy harvesting, which sounds good at first, but easy ice is cheap ice, and that hurts us all. And then maybe she can just create the ice in ready to use bricks, and then where would we be? Do you see the problem?"

Kristoff didn't know what to say. Elsa wouldn't do that, would she?

"Now, I don't think it would really come to that. The queen has more important things to do. But the question needs to be asked."

"I could ask for an audience, but Trade Minister Skarsgård would insist on being there as well. And with him it's always _the trade agreement with Westvale_ and _the mercantile concord of the North Sea States_, or some such nonsense. He muddles things up and we'd never get to the point."

"But you have access that rest of us don't. You're friends with the royal family now, so you can get in the castle and talk to the queen without all of the formal ceremony."

"Look, I know you prefer to work solo and not with the guild teams, same as your father. But there are no ill feelings between us, right? The guild took care of you when you were a kid, when you had just lost your father. And we've come to an accord after your early _misunderstandings_, right?"

It was an interesting way to look at things. Kristoff's father had always felt the guild interfered too much in every harvester's business, with fees and requirements. Ice harvesting is not a high profit business; winter ice sells cheap, and summer ice requires long and dangerous trips, and the ice is half melted before you can get to market. So add in the guild's cut, on top of membership fees, and it can be hard for a harvester to make a living, much less raise a family. Harder still when the family has lost its mother.

And after Kristoff's father was gone, it wasn't the guild who took care of him, it was the other mothers and wives in the mountain village who gave him food and a place to sleep. All the guild did was allow him to tag along with the team, and look the other way when he carted away a brick or two with Sven.

And when he was old enough and big enough to be harvesting ice in any real quantity, then the guild come on hard. He was harvesting professionally now, and there are the rules, and more importantly, there are the fees. But Kristoff, like his father, didn't like it, and so he wouldn't pay. But that just caused more trouble, so the guild put the word out that no one was to buy Kristoff's ice. Business dried up. The money ran out after the first week, and after the second week, Kristoff was hungry enough to agree to anything the guild wanted. _That_ was their _misunderstanding_.

Henricksen continued, "Kristoff, it's not about you and me and any differences of opinion we may have. It's about the ice and the ice harvesters. Your brothers and mine. It's a proud tradition, going back to the founding of Arendelle almost a millennium ago. We both love our queen, and wish her the best for herself and all of Arendelle. We just need to know where we stand. Can you do this for us?"


	2. Chapter 2 - Weasel Town

**Chapter 2 – Weasel Town**

Trade Minister of Arendelle, Arven Skarsgård, sighed and read the slip of paper again. It's not that he didn't understand it; it was quite straightforward. "The ship _Caroline_ requests permission to dock and do business." The _Caroline_ was a trading ship, currently anchored at the fjord entrance, guarded by the Arendelle navy ship _The North Star, _owned by the _Verenigde H__andeldrijvend_ _Compagnie_, and flying the flag of the _Duchy of Wesselton_.

Arven Skarsgård had served as the head of the _Ministry of Commerce and Trade_ under King Agdar for five years, and in other positions in the ministry for an additional seventeen. He was in his late fifties and was considering retiring when the king and queen were lost. And when it was decided that the Minister of Trade should be a member of the Regency Council during the interregnum, he decided, for the good of the kingdom, to continue serving until Princess Elsa took the crown. Despite closing the castle doors, and thus not personally entertaining foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries, King Agdar had pressed a strong policy of trade, and it had served Arendelle well and made it prosperous.

Once a month, the regency council would meet with Princess Elsa to discuss the affairs of the kingdom, and seek her council. Until the princess was crowned, the regency council had the authority to handle all matters of state, but tradition dictated that the council should seek the advice of the crown prince or princess. (Though this tradition was almost considered a joke one hundred twenty years ago, during the unfortunate regency of Crown Prince Henerik, who was only two years old when his father King Osterfal fell ill and died quite suddenly. His mother, Queen Benonete, doted on her son, but took no interest in the running of the kingdom, leaving the council to request advice from a boy far more interested in his toys.) Crown Princess Elsa was normally quiet during these meetings, but always sat attentively, listening to every councilor, usually just nodding in acknowledgement to their report. But when she did have questions, they were relevant and insightful, showing a keen mind behind her tacit façade.

Therefore, Minister Skarsgård felt that once the Crown Princess had been elevated to Queen regnant, he would only need to serve another six months, perhaps a year, to ensure that the transition was complete, and he would be confident in the abilities of Her Majesty and whomever his successor would be.

But the events around the coronation sundered all his plans. Reports of Queen Elsa's… _abilities?_... would put the small, innocuous kingdom of Arendelle onto the world stage. And effecting him more directly was, of course, the declaration of embargo on the Duchy of Wesselton. Perhaps an easy thing to declare, but not so easy a thing to implement.

Petar Sigmarsen, Arven's secretary for almost a year, was working through a stack of papers at his own desk. Arven turned to him, holding out the troubling slip of paper, and said, "Petar, what do you make of this?"

Petar took the message and read it. "The _Caroline_. That's the one anchored in the fjord?"

Arven nodded.

Petar further queried, "Which one is it? There are several _Carolines_ that come to Arendelle."

Arven responded, "It's the one with _Verenigde H__andeldrijvend_."

Petar nodded, understanding. "It's a Weaseltown ship, so we don't let it dock."

Given recent events, Arven now appreciated the epithet, though he might not use it himself. Not professional. He countered Petar, "But it's not quite that simple. If its sister ship…" Arven paused, quickly opening a ledger, flipping a couple pages and pointing to an entry, "the_ Beatrice_, sailed in, would we deny her entry? She flies the flag of Bruges. But they're both owned by _H__andeldrijvend_."

Arven continued, "_Verenigde H__andeldrijvend_ is a large company; lots of ships. But it doesn't belong to any one kingdom, no company does. Well, except _Wittmund_, of course." _Wittmund Trading Consortium_, the worst kept secret in the Northern Sea, solely owned by the Duke's family.

"_Verenigde H__andeldrijvend_ _Compagnie_ has depots in a dozen cities along the North Sea coast and some down along Great Ocean, cities in at least half-a-dozen kingdoms or other states. If it belongs to anything, it would be the Hanseatic League, to which most of those cities belong. It just flags some of its ships in each of the kingdoms. Wesselton just happens to be one of them."

Arven hesitated, just now remembering something. "You're from Wesselton, aren't you?"

Petar shook his head, "Not exactly. It's complicated…"

When Arven didn't interrupt, Petar continued. "My father's family were farmers in Lübecktal, in the Lübeck river valley area, and my mother's from Lübeckberg, up river. When the drought hit, about fifty years ago, my mother's family, like so many others, moved downstream to Lübecktal, where they became tenants on my grandfather's land. That was just before the prince of –tal married the princess from –berg, and they merged the kingdoms back into Lübeckstadt, like they were a hundred years before. My father didn't want to be a farmer, so he joined up with Schlichting-Jürgen, as a sailor on one of their ships. After a couple years, he was promoted to cargo-chief. My mother also worked for S-J, as a clerk in their Lübeckstadt terminal. I think she got that job just to be close to my father. It worked, I guess, because they got married, and a few years later, I was born. So with me as a baby, he didn't want to be away on ships all the time anymore, so he got himself transferred to Wesselton where he managed the Schlichting-Jürgen warehouses. We spent about twelve years there. So yes, I'm a weasel-boy. But that was around the time the old Duke died and his son took over, the current Duke of Weaseltown. He was all for the shipping companies, making all sorts of laws, rules, and edicts, always in their favor. Great for them, great for the Duke, not so great for the regular working people. So eventually, we packed up, moved to the city-state of Copenhagen, where my father and mother ran an imports shop, making good use of the connections he had built up over the years. When I came of age, I started sailing with the companies as well, but it got old for me after a couple years. One day I found myself on shore-leave here in Arendelle, and I decided to stay."

Arven laughed. "I've seen you with your reason; very pretty."

Petar smiled as well. "That's Magda. We're getting married in the fall."

Holding up the slip of paper once again, Petar asked, "So, what are you going to do about this?"

Arven sighed, then answered, "Well, it is ultimately the Queen's decision, but my recommendation is to turn the _Caroline_ away, as well as any other shipped flagged with Wesselton; but any of their ships flagged elsewhere should be welcomed. The companies will know our dispute is with Wesselton, and not with them, and so they will need to make a choice. They can take their ships to another port, like Oslo or Skagen, and either try to sell their goods there, much less profit to be had that way, or reload their goods to other ships and come back, a waste of both time and money. And that's what they'll do at first. But long term, it will be easier for them to reflag their ships away from Wesselton and to other kingdoms. That's simple enough to do and won't cost much. But it will cost Wesselton; the Duke makes his money from the customs and tariffs, licenses and permits, and, of course, the outright graft."

"And it won't be just docking rights with Arendelle they'll be doing it for. We've already received word from several other kingdoms that had representatives attending the Queen's coronation, Donegal, Lorraine, Corona, that they will also be enacting an embargo of Wesselton. Apparently, attempted regicide is not the most diplomatically advantageous of endeavors. And that should strike the Duke right in his most sensitive spot, the coin-purse."

* * *

Author's note:

\- I imagine that in the Disney Princess-verse, there are many small kingdoms, principalities, duchies, and city-states, similar to Europe in the 17th and 18th century. For more discussion of the Princess-verse politics, see my blog. (link from my author page.)

_\- Verenigde H__andeldrijvend_ _Compagnie_ is dutch for "United Trading Company." Think of it like the real world's Dutch East India Company.

\- _Hanseatic League, _in the real world was a group of cities and their merchant guild forming a trade network across northern Europe from the 13th through 17th centuries. Given the more disparate political nature of the Princess-verse, I think that such an organization would likely continue to exist much longer.


	3. Chapter 3 - I Love the Open Gates

**Chapter 3 – I Love the Open Gates**

Kristoff and Sven walked along the bridge to the castle. As he approached the courtyard gate, now always open by the order of Queen Elsa, he saw two castle guardsmen stationed at either side of the causeway, holding halberds and wearing uniforms with the royal colors of Arendelle, purple and green. The Guard on the left seemed to be having a particularly animated argument with a man, probably a farmer judging from his cart full of vegetables that his horse was pulling. But as Kristoff got close enough to overhear, they were just _discussing_ the relative attributes of the local and visiting curling teams, who were having a series of summer exhibition games on the Queen Elsa's ice rink.

The guards paid little attention to Kristoff as he passed through the gates, though they did give Sven a look.

With the gates open, the castle courtyard had, over the course of the last week, turned into another market square. But unlike the market in city, the courtyard shops were focusing more on crafts and toys, sweetmeats and candy, and there were entertainers, jugglers, jesters, musicians, stationed at each of the courtyard corners.

As they worked their way across the courtyard, children started gathering to see Sven.

"Hey mister, is this your reindeer?" said a dark haired boy, probably around ten years old.

"Sort of. Sven's my best friend." Kristoff replied.

The boy cocked his head. "How can a reindeer be your best friend?"

"We grew up together. And now we work together in the mountains."

"Yeah, what do you do?"

"Ice. We harvest ice."

The boy laughed. "You're going to need a new job now! Queen Elsa can make all the ice we need." He said, pointing towards the ice rink on the north side of the courtyard.

Kristoff ran his hand through hair, not sure how to respond. But a scream and a crash to his left rescued him.

A young woman now sat awkwardly on the ground, surrounded by what was likely her shop's inventory, a bunch of dolls and puppets now scattered across the ground. And the cause of the crash stood in front her, stick arms spread apart, and a permanent cloud above its head sprinkling down snowflakes.

"So you don't want a hug? That's too bad." Olaf enthusiastically said to the woman. "But if you change your mind, I'll be right here!"

While Sven was entertaining, the children all loved Olaf, and those that had been clustered around Kristoff now sped off towards the animated snowman to get their hugs.

After the Big Freeze, many people were concerned, and didn't know if having a sorcerer-queen, as some put it, was a good thing for Arendelle. But in the following week, anyone who met Olaf seemed to think it would be acceptable. If the queen was using her powers to make a comedy relief, it couldn't be that bad. Of course there were still a few who said she was creating golems or summoning demons, but few gave them any attention. Kristoff though it best, then, to not mention the large guardian snowman on the North Mountain.

Freed from the crowd of children, Kristoff and Sven continued across the courtyard to the castle entrance proper. Again, a couple guards stood on either side of the open doors into the castle, though these seems to be paying much greater attention to people's comings and goings. A man carrying a crate of cabbages walked straight past the guards and into the castle, so Kristoff thought there would be no problems getting it.

As he approached the doors, however, the guard on the right moved just a bit into Kristoff's path, not exactly blocking him, and not actually threatening him in any way, but definitely not letting him through.

"Sir, what is your business with the castle?" asked the guard.

That was actually quite an improvement since a few days ago, where he was almost immediately turned away. But then he was still looking, and frankly _smelling_, a little rough, still with the remnants of his recent adventures about him. But since his so-called official appointment, and the funds that go with it, Kristoff has had a chance to clean up, clean his clothes, and even buy some new. So now, while still decked out as an ice harvester, he presented himself as a rather decent and well-kept ice harvester.

Kristoff responded hesitantly, not sure how to ask. "I'd like to see the Queen?"

The guard prompted turned him down, "I'm sorry sir, but Her Majesty the Queen is not granting any audiences today."

"How about An—um, Princess Anna?" asked Kristoff.

"Let me check." Replied the guard. He turned, stepped into the castle, and called out "Hey Didrik! Tell the Princess that her ice harvester is here."

_I guess they know who I am,_ thought Kristoff.

Turning back, the guard resumed his position, grinning knowingly to Kristoff.

A couple minutes later, Kristoff could hear the tale-tell signs, something crashing, people calling out, and a familiar voice apologizing, "Sorry! Sorry!" Then Anna, walking backwards half stumbling, appeared on the other side of the doors.

Taking a moment to stabilize herself, Anna then turned and called out, "Kristoff, come on in!" Then to the two guards, she added "Thank you, Rolf, Sigmond."

The guards bowed to Anna, saying "Your Highness". Rolf, apparently the one who was addressing Kristoff earlier, now stepped aside to let him in, though he was still grinning.

But as Kristoff started enter, Sigmond, the other guard who at least had the decency to keep a straight face, said, "Sir, reindeers are not allowed in the castle."

Just realizing that Sven was still with him, Kristoff turned, and started to say, "Oh, um, I guess—"

Sigmond interrupted, "We'll see that your reindeer is taken to the stables, sir."

Relieved, Kristoff responded, "Thanks." Then to Sven, "Behave yourself, OK?" to which Sven answered with a dismissive snort.

Kristoff stepped through the doors and into the castle. He had gotten close to the castle before, after they had been rescued from the ship after the queen thawed the fjord, and later when she made the skating rink in the courtyard, but this was the first time inside. It was majestic and old, and with its peaked roofline, it reminded him of the old pine forests on the mountains.

Next to Kristoff, Anna rocked from toe to heel and back again, bouncing slightly at the start of each cycle. Her hair was in its usual two pigtails, and she wore a green dress with a black vest stitched with a rosemaling pattern. She smiled and watched him taking in the scenery.

"So, missed me so much already, you decided to pay a visit? Lucky for you, I'm on a break from the negotiations between the Lords of Ragnarok and the Great Southern Empire, so I'm free." Anna kidded.

"Um, actually, I'm here to see the Queen, if I can—" Kristoff half mumbled.

Anna started in surprise, "Oh! Well, Elsa is in her study doing queen things, but it's about time I pulled her out of there anyway. She promised me she's only working through the morning and then we'd go into town for the afternoon, and her time is up!"

Anna then grabbed Kristoff's arm with her hands, leaned onto him and said, "You can come with us. I'm sure Elsa wouldn't mind."

Kristoff replied, "Well, that would be nice, but Master Kai gave me the castle's ice order, and you're having some kind of special big dinner or something in two days, and you'll need a lot, so I need to head out to the mountains pretty soon."

Anna pouted. "You and your ice. You like it so much, I might think you're more interesting in Elsa than me."

"What? No, I like you. Really—" Kristoff defended himself.

Anna cut off his protestations, "It's OK, mountain man. I know you do." Tugging on the arm she already had made prisoner, "Come on, let's go disturb her majesty, my sister."


	4. Chapter 4 - Horsing Around

**Chapter 4 – Horsing Around**

Standing on her tiptoes, Anna waved to Kristoff one last time, as he rounded the fence at the far corner of the stable yard and went out of sight. He and Sven were off to the mountains to collect ice for the palace, _especially important_ now that he was the _Official Ice Master and Deliverer_, Anna thought with satisfaction.

Spinning on heels, Anna started walking back through the stables to the castle. Elsa had promised to spend the afternoon with her in Arendelle town today and they were going right after Anna saw Kristoff and Sven off, though Elsa had probably started working on something else as soon as they had left her office. Kristoff had come to the castle to talk to Elsa, something about ice harvesting and business; Anna couldn't quite remember or understand. Kristoff was talking about the impact on commerce and something about product access and price stability, and Elsa was saying something about personal and entertainment use, but Anna had stopped paying attention. _Then_ they started talking about ice, just ice. The different kinds of ice, water source location, water quality, mineral content, _color_. Who knew ice came in different colors? It's ice colored! Kind of clear, a little white sometimes. Now if you were to freeze some lingonberry juice, _that_ would have some real color. But you have to be careful about splashing when pouring the juice into the ice trays, because lingonberry stains something terrible. Ruined a brand new dressing gown the other day at breakfast, knocked the whole pitcher over. She was just trying to describe the design on the sails of ship that just arrived that morning, using her hands to shape the crest of some strange bird-lion-thing, and boom, splash! And it was Elsa's dressing gown, too, Anna was just borrowing it. She promised Elsa that she'd get her a new gown as soon as they got to town again, since she saw a really pretty one in that shop on Primrose Street, blue and ivory, which would be great matching Elsa's eyes and hair, and maybe they could get two, one for Anna too, in blue to match her eyes, and red to match the lingonberries! Wait, what?

Anna broke from her reverie, finding herself having crossed the entire stables and almost exiting the opposite end. She was planning to stop at the stall where they kept her horse, Starlilly, but lost in thought, Anna had strode right past her. Turning again, Anna found herself facing another horse she recognized.

"Don't I know you?" asked Anna to the horse. It was a solidly built, dun colored horse with a black and off-white mane. And the last time Anna "bumped" into it, he was carrying _him_, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

As Anna looked at the horse, it raised its head and met her eyes, raising its eyebrows inquisitively, right back at her. Weird.

"Oh ya, that one, princess, is a strange one." came a voice from behind Anna. Anna smiled, looking back to see Gard Bjørnholt, the Master of Horse for Arendelle castle. Now late in his years, Master Bjørnholt had worked in, and later been in charge of, the castle stables for longer than Anna had been alive. King Agdar always respected him and his knowledge of and skills with horses. He had even taught both Anna and Elsa how to ride when they were little, and continued working with Anna after Elsa had gone into hiding. Standing a half-foot taller than Anna, he tied his now gray hair back in a tail, not unlike that of the horses he cared for. His thicker, rural nordic accent stuck out when he spoke.

"His name is Sitron, according to that blackguard prince. Still, cannot hold a man's actions against his horse, now can we?"

"Why is he still here?" Anna asked, looking back towards the horse.

"The ship that he and the prince came in on was equipped to carry horses in its hold, but that's the one that got tipped over when in the fjord froze over. It was lost when the Queen melted everything. The prince was sent home in a jail cell on the ship from Lloraine, but they couldn't carry horses. So here he stays until something is worked out."

"He's a smart one, that one is," Bjørnholt continued. "We take him out into the stable yard every day for some exercise, and he pretty much takes care of himself. And when I call to the boys to bring the horses back in, it's like he's heard me and actually rounds up the other ones and helps bring them in."

"A good fjordhest, too. Not from the Southern Isles or thereabouts, but from up here. One of the Bergen teams, if I'm right. Good stock, those horses."

Bjørnholt turned suddenly back towards the other end of the stables. "Ulrich, what do you think you're doing! You have it backwards!" Then turning back to Anna, "Excuse me, princess, but it seem I need to teach the new boy how to saddle a horse." And giving Anna a quick bow, he rushed off.

Anna returned her attention to the horse. "So, um… you doing okay? They treating you alright?" she asked, not sure what to expect. During their strange encounter at the dock, Anna was rather distracted by Prince Sideburns, but she did remember the horse acting like he understood what was going on.

So it only surprised Anna mildly when Sitron raised one roof up and shrugged. The horse _actually_ shrugged. At least, to Anna, that's what it looked like.

So Anna probed further, "You didn't actually know what Hans was up to, right? You just carried him around."

The horse backed-up in his stall, actually looking offended. Shook his head and gave a rather dismissing snort.

Anna crossed her arms, putting on hand to her chin, assessing the situation. "Okay, so I'm talking to a horse, which is a bit weird, but the horse seems to be understanding me and is talking back, which is totally bizarre. But at least I haven't gone as kooky as Kristoff, actually _talking_ in Sven's voice."

Back to talking to the horse. "So, what do _you_ want to do? I suppose we'll be seeing a ship from the Southern Isles eventually. They're going to want to deal with the mess Prince I-shoulda-broke-his-nose made. They should be able to take you back, or at least work something out."

Sitron shook his head from side to side, then tapped the ground twice with his right hoof.

"You want to stay here? Oh sure, you're a Fjord horse, you probably want to go back to your own, um, herd." Anna interpreted.

But the horse disagreed, shaking its head again, and stomping the ground again, but this time hard.

"Oh, you want to stay _here _here! In Arendelle?"

Sitron nodded.

"Um, I guess we can work something out. Tell you what, I'll talk to Elsa. She's queen, she can probably declare an executive order or something."

Sitron nodded again. Anna was getting a bit weirded out, but she thought she had conversations with Sven before. Maybe.

"And I guess you're feeling cooped-up here in the stables, right? I'll come down tomorrow and take you for a ride, get some exercise."

Another emphatic nod from the horse.

"Okaaaay. Done talking to horses. I'm going to go now."

And so to top off, Sitron lifted one leg and dipped his head. Bowing.

"Okay, bye."

The Queen's office is located on the second floor of Arendelle castle. It is positioned next to the library, and even has an internal door connecting the two rooms. The walls are lined with dark, rich pine and a window looks out over the now busy courtyard. The office is equipped with several bookshelves, a locked cabinet, and a large wooden desk, which once belonged to King Agdar, and to King Yorril before him. And now Elsa sat behind that desk, handling the affairs of state, one treaty, agreement, or declaration at a time.

While Anna was seeing Kristoff off, she could squeeze in just one more bit of work before Anna dragged her away for their afternoon in town, thought Elsa. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with Anna now, but there _was_ work to be done.

From a stack of papers from the Minister of Foreign Affairs… the kingdoms of Porsgunn and Lyngdelle are each sending official representatives to Arendelle. Elsa made some notes of her own. Porsgrunn was a close kingdom to Arendelle, both geographically, it being only fifty miles up the coast, and politically. Porsgrunn and Arendelle had some regular trade, and they often had coordinated their navies when dealing with raiders and pirates. Their relationship had become somewhat strained over the last thirteen years during Arendelle's withdrawal from the world, and since that withdrawal was because of her, Elsa was determined to re-establish that relationship as best she could. As for Lyngdelle, while Arendelle also had some small amount of trade with that kingdom, their prince was a bit of a social peacock, and it was likely they just wanted to be seen to associate with Arendelle, now that they were drawing so much attention.

"Hey, _what _are you doing!" accused Anna, barging in from the hallway. "I told you, no more queen-work today."

"Well, if you weren't spending _so much_ time saying good-bye to Kristoff…" Elsa verbally reposted, smiling.

"Hey, I wasn't…" Anna blushed. "I was just talking to…" a horse. Okay, maybe she shouldn't mention that. "Fine. What's left? I'll help out and we can go."

Else waved towards the last stack on her desk, "Just the latest correspondences."

"Great!" declared Anna, plopping herself in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. Leaning over, she grabbed a couple items, handed one to Elsa and opened the other.

After about a minute of reading, Anna suddenly crushed the letter into a ball, and started looking for a burning fireplace to throw it into, but of course, there wasn't one. The cold never bothered Elsa, anyway.

"What is it?" Elsa inquired.

"Nothing important. Just some jerk who doesn't have anything better to do with his time than write nasty letters," said Anna.

Elsa sighed and asked, "What does it say?"

Anna frowned back at Elsa a moment, but then opened the letter back up from its balled form, smoothing it a bit on her knee. "Some idiot, and I'm basing that on the spelling…" holding the letter up and then turning it on an angle to follow the text, Anna continued, "and the grammar, says Arendelle shouldn't be ruled by a witch... Sorcerers are evil… Well which is it, witch or sorcerer?... and you'll be the next Malificent." Anna dropped the letter back onto the desk, "Well, at least he's read his history."

Anna crossed her arms across her middle to keep warm, because the temperature had suddenly dropped, and a drizzle of sharp, freezing rain had started to fall in the office. She knew that was not a good sign, and tried to move things along. "What do you have?"

Out of a packet, Elsa pulled a handful of thick sheets of paper and a note, clipped to the top. Pulling the note off, she saw a child's drawing, of herself, standing on in the castle courtyard, her hands raised with a giant snowflake in the sky, surrounded by other people who were all shown to be smiling. The next one, much simpler, showed her sitting on a throne made of snow, a bright white ice crown on her head, holding hands with Anna who stood next to her. The rest were similar. The note was from a teacher in a school in Arendelle town, explaining that her class had insisted on this class project.

And the weather in the office changed to big, fluffy snowflakes.

By the time Elsa was done looking though the drawings, Anna had finished making a little Olaf on her desk. Laughing, Elsa said, "So, lunch in town?"

"Thought you'd never ask!"


	5. Chapter 5 - Ice Town

**Chapter 5 – Ice Town**

It was a sunny summer Arendelle afternoon in which Elsa and Anna enjoyed an afternoon off. Lunch had been at a restaurant in the center of town that Gerda, the head housekeeper of the castle, had recommended, saying it would be able to cater to the tastes of both the Queen and the Princess. And so Elsa has a selection of fish, served cold (of course,) and cheeses, along with some pickled vegetables, and Anna had a sandwich.

After thirteen years of never seeing their royal family, the town population was now quite taken with seeing them walking about freely. (A few guards accompanied them, of course, one of whom also was tasked with carrying along some coins to pay minor expenses, those too small to be worth billing to the castle.) As they would turn each new corner, there would be cries of "The Queen! Princess Anna!" as some people would clear the way to let them through, while others would approach to greet them. While Anna seemed to take to socializing quite naturally, it still made Elsa a bit nervous. Not so much that she was worried about controlling her powers anymore, though she did ice up one street a bit when startled by a barking dog, but more simply because she had grown to be a more private person during her years of isolation.

While taking lessons from Papa, she knew that one day, as Queen, she would need to meet with people regularly and frequently. Some of whom she would know, like the King's (and one day Queen's) Council, and many that she would not, when holding court or meeting with foreign dignitaries. It was part of the job, and she had resolved herself to be able to do it, if only she could learn to control her curse. At least that was how she thought about it in those past years past. Today, she felt somewhat more comfortable meeting people, though she would not describe it as eager to meet them. She had imagined at times, that had she not been born to royalty, she would probably find herself in a quiet career, accounting perhaps, or maybe a mathematics tutor.

But she was Arendelle's queen, and she would serve her people to best of her ability. However, recent events have revealed abilities that she possessed beyond those of any other current monarch, and Elsa did wonder how they might one day come into play.

Turning down what was known as Needle Street, where a good number of tailors and dress shops gathered, Elsa beheld a site that rather startled her. "Is that—" Elsa started.

Anna grabbed Elsa's arm and yelled out, "It's your ice dress! Well it's not _your_ ice dress, and it's not made of ice… but it's your ice dress!"

Elsa had since switched back to her more conservative dresses, feeling it was more appropriate as queen, though she had practiced making a few new ice dresses in private with Anna. And, of course, Elsa could not have helped noticing the looks she had been getting from people while she continued to wear the ice dress. Especially from the men. So she had decided to save it for more special occasions.

Anna dragged Elsa into the dress shop bearing a sign titled "Madame Sylvie", saying she wanted to get a closer look. Inside, they saw three women. Two, one with blond hair and the other light brown, were probably about Elsa's age, give or take a year, and given their similarity, probably sisters. One was standing on a stool wearing a new but still ill-fitting dress, while the third, with dark hair a good number more years, knelt on the ground, pinning the hem of the first girl's new dress. And it _was_ a copy of Elsa's ice dress.

As the door opened, a bell rang, drawing the women's attention and breaking their conversation. The seamstress also turned, and upon noticing the identity of her new customers, dropped her pins in surprise. "Your Majesty!" said the older women, as she clumsily tried to get to get feet and curtsey. The other two women were able to manage their curtsies more successfully, even though one was still perched on a stool.

"Um, hello—" started Elsa, not really sure what to say. But Anna just strode right up to girl on the stool, and turned back to Elsa, declaring, "See! It IS your dress."

In the meantime, the seamstress had gotten herself collected. Putting on an air of sophistication, and a slight French accent, she addressed Elsa, "Yes, your Majesty, your…" she paused briefly to come up with the right description, "_post-coronation_ gown has become quite popular among the mademoiselles in the city. I believe at least three other couturiers are offering their own version." Adding almost dismissively, "And a number of hack shops as well, but that cannot be helped."

The woman standing on the ground pulled her sister down from the stool, thinking it quite inappropriate for her to be standing over the queen like that. But that didn't stop her from speaking, "Girls are wearing it to all the parties, ma'am. They say that if there aren't at least two girls wearing ice dresses, the party is a failure. I heard about a party last night where _everyone_ wore a Queen Elsa dress!"

Stepping towards Elsa, the seamstress reclaimed the conversation, "Your Majesty, normally, here in the northern cities, we take our lead in fashion from the continent, from Paris" which she pronounced _Par-ee_, "and Milan. But you and your dress make a great statement." She looked over Elsa's current, much plainer dress. "Your Majesty, I have some ideas, and with your beautiful figure, we could do some great work together. Bring the whole world's attention to Arendelle!"

Elsa shook her head in disbelief. As if it wasn't enough that the whole world would now be worrying about her powers, they should also be interested in what she was wearing?

The girl in the faux-ice-dress spoke up again, a bit hesitantly, "Your Majesty… we're having a party this Friday, to celebrate your coronation, and I wondered if you would like to attend? Princess Anna too, of course! It was supposed to happen on Coronation Day, but it didn't happen because of the Big Freeze—" Her sister tugged hard on her sleeve and hissed at her "Helga!" But Helga misinterpreted it, and spoke up, "Oh, I can tell everyone to not wear their ice dress if you want to wear the real one!"

Her sister blushed, horribly embarrassed, and started to say, "I'm sorr—"

But Anna jumped in, "Will there be chocolate?"

Helga paused a moment due to the unexpected question. "Sure, we'll have chocolate."

Anna turned to Elsa, grabbing both of her hands. "Can we go? I'm sure it will go better than the last party, it _has_ to! And I promise I won't get engaged to anybody! Please?"

Elsa looked into Anna's eyes and any idea of refusal melted away.

Elsa looked up and addressed the two sisters, "What are your names?"

"Helga Alweign, ma'am. And this is my sister Britta." she replied.

"Olvar Alweign is your father?"

Both Helga and Britta nodded. Olvar Alweign was the owner of a number of businesses in the city, and the Alweign family had a long history in Arendelle. He also vocally supported King Agdar during the long years of the closed gates when many others criticized the King for his family's mysterious reclusiveness.

"Thank you. Please send the event details to the castle."

And as Elsa was moving to leave, Anna turned to Madame Sylvie, "And we'll be back to talk about those dresses!"

* * *

Over the next few hours, Elsa and Anna managed to collect two new silk scarves, a necklace for Anna, a decorative paper holder engraved with the shape of a snowflake for Elsa, a bundle of ribbon in different colors for tying or threading their hair, about a pound of chocolate and another pound of nuts and dried fruit, five books, and a hat Anna wanted to give to Kristoff. A quite successful endeavor, thought Anna. A quite exhausting one, thought Elsa.

At every stop, and usually several times between, there was the usual crowd of people wanting to meet their queen and princess. Lots of hellos, lovely day, and other small talk, though she did have one informative conversation with a merchant about trade and tariffs. So Elsa felt quite justified that she had earned their current respite, a stop at a sidewalk café for tea and a small snack.

As Elsa quietly enjoyed her cup of tea, and Anna chattered on about the day, a little girl ran up from the street, right past the guard, and up to their table, calling out "Magic Queen, make it snow! Magic Queen, make it snow!"

Elsa turned to her visitor, a little girl in a blue dress with blond hair tied at the top with a white bow. "Hello little one. What's your name?"

The girl responded slowly and carefully, "Ellasandra." Then continued, eagerly, "Can you make it snow? Please?"

From the edge of the crowd came a voice, calling out "Ellie! Ellie!" A blond women in a brown and red dress, presumably the girl's mother, was being held back by the guard. Elsa waved her guard to let the woman through, and she rushed up, quickly scooping up her daughter.

Clumsily trying to curtsy while holding her daughter, the woman said, "Your majesty, I am so sorry. She saw you and just went running. Ever since your coronation and the, um, weather, you are all she will talk about."

Elsa gripped her left hand in her right, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Please forgive me for that, the freezing. I never meant to do any harm—"

But the women jumped in, "Oh no, it was no trouble. No worse than any other good Arendelle cold spell. It was just one day, too. We used up a week's worth of our cooking stove wood to keep warm, but the extra wood you sent around the town made up for that."

The Lord Mayor of Arendelle town, Pitar Svarnhalt, appointed to the post by King Agdar just two months before the fateful trip, had reported to Elsa on the impact that the Big Freeze had on the town and the surrounding farms. Most people already had food, and only had to get their winter clothes out of storage. The biggest impact had been, as mentioned, a drastic increase in the need for firewood. In summer, the wood would generally be used just for cooking and hot water for cleaning, so most homes had much less on hand than they would in the winter. Elsa had given instruction to the wood-cutters guild to gather as much as they could for the next week, and to distribute it around the town and farms, all charges to be paid by the crown.

Ellasandra's mother continued, "The children all loved it, playing in snow in the middle of summer. Ellie cried when it all flew away."

Elsa was a bit flustered by all this. Certainly, the events surrounding her "eternal winter" had been very traumatic to herself and Anna, and she projected that outward, believing that it had been terrible for everyone in Arendelle. To hear that people, _children_, had actually enjoyed themselves was a bit startling.

Elsa felt a poke on her arm, Anna getting her attention. Her hands held up in front of her, Anna wiggled her fingers, then mimed throwing something into the air.

Smiling, Elsa leaned over to Ellasandra and whispered, "Are you ready?"

* * *

Heading north from Arendelle town and then east up and into the mountains, after about four hours of travel one will reach the town officially known as Hattfjelldal. But to Kristoff, other ice harvesters, and anyone else living in the mountains, it was known as Ice Town.

It didn't have walls or any real border. At first there were a few storage buildings off the dirt road, then a workshop, a stockyard, finally a house or two, an inn, and then finally you could say you were in Ice Town. One main road cut through the town, following the curve of the mountain terrace, buildings on either side, bordered by a steep climb on one side and a rapid drop on the other.

The town hugged the northeast side of the mountain, and so, despite the long summer days, it was already getting dark by the time Kristoff and Sven arrived. They finally stopped at an inn, Dag's Place as most called it. Dag knew Kristoff's father, and after Kristoff's father was gone, Dag would usually let young Kristoff stay in a spare room. That was until Dag got married and his wife didn't like the looks of that no-good stray kid. After that he could at least sack out in the stables when he needed to, but by then, Kristoff was old enough to start fending for himself. Still, Kristoff never forgot his kindness.

Sven pulled the sled, still on wheels for now, around the side where a few others were stowed. Kristoff unhooked Sven and led him to the stables. Dag's was a smaller establishment, and so didn't have anyone handling the stables. It was mostly do-it-yourself, with some help from Dag or his son, if you needed it. But Kristoff had been taking care of Sven for forever and didn't need any help. After getting Sven settled in a stall and sharing a few carrots, Kristoff headed into the commons room.

The smells of food wafted over Kristoff as he entered, and saw the small crowd. There were about a dozen people, mostly men, mostly ice-men. Many were having dinner, some kind of chicken stew from the smell, and most were drinking. Kristoff approached the bar.

"Hail, Prince Kristoff!" called out a voice from behind the bar.

"Cut it out, Dag," muttered Kristoff.

"Heh, fine. So, what brings _Sir Kristoff_ to this backwoods little town?"

Kristoff shook his head to Dag's teasing. "Working. I'm still an ice-man."

"Some crazy stories coming from downhill." _Downhill_ what was Icetowners called Arendelle town. "You and the princess, huh?"

"Well, I guess. I mean, we only just met last week. But she's something special."

"Felicia will be jealous," Dag joked. Felicia was his thirteen year old daughter, who had a bit of a crush on Kristoff. Dag pulled a draught into a mug and pushed it over to Kristoff. "You want dinner?"

"Thanks. Please," replied Kristoff. He headed over to a nearby table, sat, and started on his beer.

After taking care of a few other tables, Dag came to Kristoff's table with a bowl full of stew, spoon, a hunk of bread, and a two more beers. Sitting down and taking a sip of his own, Dag then spoke up, "And what about Yvonn?"

Kristoff put down his spoon, looking a bit pained. "What about her? It's been over a year. And she broke it off, not me."

Dag shrugged. "I know. I guess she didn't think you would actually move on."

Kristoff continued, a bit angrily, "What did she expect? Ice harvesting is what I do and she knew that. Hell, her father and his brother are ice harvesters, too, so she knew what the life was like!"

Dag shrugged again, "But they're guild men, so they work the schedules and are in town for a time between trips. You're a loner, which is why you're here at my place, not at the 'Beard." _Odin's Beard_ was a large inn in the center of town, and is where _guild_ ice-men usually partook. Dag's, and a few others on the edge of town, was where the independents stayed.

Kristoff slumped back in his chair, a bit despondent. "I asked her once, you know. To marry me. But she said not yet, and then she… is she doing okay?"

"I've seen her a couple times, seems all right. Nobody new, though. Åsta would have said something." Dag's wife, Åsta, handled the supplies for the inn, and had a lot more contact with the town, and knew a little something about everyone.

Kristoff resumed work on the bowl, and so Dag stood up. "I'll leave you too it. The room at the end is open if you want it."

"Thanks," mumbled Kristoff through a mouthful of bread.

Dag laughed, "I hope your princess appreciates your table manners."

Kristoff laughed back, 'You should see _hers_."


	6. Chapter 6 - Kissed by a Troll

**Chapter 6 – Kissed by a Troll**

After a late, private dinner for just the two of them, Elsa and Anna had retired to Anna's room. Since their eventful reunion a week ago, while Elsa would often be occupied with her duties as queen —"Queen-stuff" as Anna put it— during the day, the sisters had spent every evening together. Two of the nights Anna had even slept over in Elsa's rooms.

Despite her elevation to Queen regnant, Elsa rebuffed any suggestions that she move into the suite of rooms her parents, the late King and Queen, had used. Even after three years, Elsa still felt the loss sharply any time she passed the doors to her parents' rooms. Therefore the rooms remained unused, the furniture covered, the clothing crated. Perhaps when she married, the castle staff had since decided.

Anna's rooms had not changed much since they were both Anna's and Elsa's when they were little. Before the accident. Before the separation. Where Elsa's bed had been, there was now a large wardrobe and a standing mirror. When Elsa had returned to Anna's rooms for the first time, she had found it difficult to even enter. Despite mentally reciting _"Conceal. Don't feel." _Elsa was too overcome with emotions and memories. But that night, Anna was right there, with her. And with her, she pushed through, now determined to put aside the old memories, and make new ones.

This night, Anna was sitting at her vanity desk, going on about their day, and anything else they came to mind, while Elsa combed out her hair.

"—and those necklaces in the store on Kystveien St., they were all so nice, but I just _couldn't_ decide if I liked the emeralds or the rubies, but then I saw the price and, wow, I really don't know how much things cost, I guess, but didn't that seem to be a lot? I know we just get everything we need from the castle, food and clothes and stuff, and I never have to pay for it. But I suppose as queen, you actually get lists of everything we are buying and how much it all costs and I think we can't be that bad, since it's just two of us, not a big family like in the Southern Isles. What's so special about them, anyway, they're just a bunch of islands. It's not like they're a big kingdom on the continent, so they can't have all that much stuff to trade, right? Look at all the things that we get here in Arendelle from all the countries all over, clothes, jewelry, frying pans, furniture. Do you think I should get some new furniture? Now that the gates are open and more people are coming into the castle? Well, it's not like they'll be coming into _my_ room, but maybe for the sittings rooms, or the dining room, or the throne room. But not the throne! We can't get a new throne, that's yours, so we have to keep that. But it sure doesn't look comfortable, do you need a cushion for when you have to sit on it for a long time? I'm sure we could ask Gerda to get one for you. There were some really pretty cushions in that store we went to near the docks that had the chairs and couches. Did you see the rugs they had? The designs were so complex and interesting, and they come from _really_ far away. I rubbed my hand across one and felt _so_ smooth, not like any of the cloth we use here in Arendelle, and so much more colorful. Like the ribbons we got for our hair, they're really pretty. The blue ones would look great for you, especially when you wear your official "I'm the Queen" dress. I'm not sure if I like the green or the purple better, but I could maybe twist them and use both, since they're the colors for Arendelle. The red is pretty, but I can't use that in _my _hair, but it might be neat to use one white one and thread it through my hair on the right side, to make it look kind of the way it used to. It's funny isn't it, after I melted, my hair became all red, no more white stripe. I've had the white stripe for as long as I can remember. I used to tell people I dreamt I was kissed by a troll, but now I know… Elsa?"

Noticing that her sister had stopped brushing her hair a few sentences back, Anna turned around towards Elsa. Elsa had taken a step back and, clutching her hands together, appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong?" asked Anna, getting up from her chair.

"It's my fault!" cried Elsa, "When we were little, still together in this room, we would play together all the time, with my powers. You used to know about them, and we would make snowmen in the ballroom."

Anna stared at Elsa, not quite comprehending what she was hearing.

Elsa continued, sobbing, "We were playing one night, you couldn't sleep and so we went to build a snowman, and we were playing, you were jumping from snow pile to snow pile and I couldn't keep up. Then I slipped and hit you with my power, in the head which changed the color."

Anna touched the right side of her head, where the white lock of hair used to be.

Now, with tears pouring, Elsa said, "You wouldn't wake up, so Papa took us into the mountains to see the trolls, and they were able to help you, but they said my power was dangerous, so they took away your memories of it. I had to stay away from you, so you would be safe. I couldn't let that happen again, couldn't let you get hurt, so I had to push you away all this time, all those years. Anna, I am so sorry. I never wanted to be apart from you for so long, but I couldn't control my powers. I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry!"

Anna stood still for a few seconds, processing the new revelations—

"Kristoff Bjorgman!" Anna suddenly yelled, angrily.

This startled Elsa, so much that she stopped crying, not understanding Anna's outburst.

"He knew!" Anna continued with just as much energy.

"…um, trolls?" muttered Elsa, confused.

"He actually told me. He knew it was us!" Anna now had a full head of steam.

"What does this have to do with Kristoff?"

Anna took a deep breath, then explained, "After our, um, encounter on the North Mountain, my hair was starting to turn all white, and Kristoff said _his family_ would be able to help. He said he'd seen them do it before. I didn't question him about it right then, I just thought he was saying they were good at helping people with herbs and stuff, and I didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. But it turns out his _family_ was the trolls! So now, _really?_ He's seen them do it before? How many other times could one have seen trolls help someone who's been zapped with a freeze ray? That was us! He. Was. There! That ice brained, frozen hearted… grr! It was a long time ago, he was little too, so maybe he didn't know _then_, but it's been thirteen years! In all the time he never asked, _So, who were those people? Just the King and his family, but never mind,_ or it never came up in conversation, _Hey remember the time when we helped the princesses?_ Yeah, right. He knew. He knew _and he didn't tell me!_"

Anna shook her fist in the air in front of her, "He's lucky he's halfway up the mountain right now, or we'd be having some choice words right now."

* * *

It had taken another hour of Anna assuring Elsa that she knew that both times she hurt her were accidents and that she forgave her, and Elsa calming Anna down about Kristoff so she didn't go charging up the mountain right then, before things were settled enough that Elsa could return to her own rooms to sleep. Given the recent revelations, Elsa would have liked to stay with Anna, but she had a Queen's Council meeting first thing in the morning, the first _Queen's_ Council, the first since her coronation, and the first one where she would actually be making the final decisions. Elsa wanted to be well rested for that, and if she stayed with Anna any longer, they would likely be up all night. So only after further promises of meeting again once the council was concluded did Anna let Elsa go.

But after Elsa left, Anna could not get to sleep. Thoughts continued to race through her mind, about Kristoff and the trolls, about the night after the coronation, and the night that she could not remember, so long ago. Something didn't add up, she was sure, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She would talk to Elsa about it tomorrow. Elsa was good with puzzles (something she _did_ remember from their childhood, and rediscovered during the last week) and should be able to help her find the missing pieces.

Kristoff also could not easily get to sleep. He laid in the relative comfort of a bed in Dag's inn, in a small room obviously not normally used for guests, given the crates and baskets stacked along one wall, but quite a bargain given that Dag would not take his money. Money was rarely easy to come by, working as an independent. But even though it seemed to no longer be an issue, given his new royally-appointed position, it still would have felt alien to him to stay in one of the big, fancy, _expensive_ rooms upstairs. It just wasn't him. And so he laid there, thinking about the changes in his life, of ice harvesting, of the Queen, and, of course, of Anna.

* * *

As requested, Elsa was woken early, and with a light breakfast accompanied by a pot of strong tea, Elsa got ready for the day. Since today would be Elsa's first Queen's Council meeting, she chose to wear what Anna had titled her "I'm the Queen" dress. It bore the same colors as her coronations dress, but had a much less restrictive, one could say less _protective_, cut. Where her coronation dress said "_Conceal, don't feel_," and her ice dress verily shouted "_Queen of the Ice and Snow_," this dress proudly stated "_Queen Elsa of Arendelle."_ Where her coronation dress covered her up to her neck, this dress hung comfortably on her shoulders and revealed a modest décolletages, and while her ice dress' skirt was quite sheer with a high slit, her new dress was a darker teal, though it was still fitted flatteringly to her waist and hips.

After Elsa had decided to put away the ice dress, Anna had gone to Gerda to bring in dress-maker, saying that Elsa's old dresses just weren't _her_ anymore, that she needed a new look that fit the new Queen of Arendelle who was not hiding behind the closed gates any more. And with so much of Anna's enthusiasm behind it, it was impossible for Elsa to refuse her. While most of her older, more tailored, dresses could be simply altered, Anna was quite inspired for one particular dress, which ultimately wound up a custom job. This was her "I'm the Queen" dress, and had to admit, she was quite taken with it.

So after dressing and arranging her hair, today braided and pinned high, much like she wore it at her coronation, there was one more important element. She had left her crown in her ice palace, high up on the North Mountain, and had for the last week, when she needed it, been using the tiara that Papa had given her on her eighteenth birthday, to commemorate her officially becoming the Crown Princess. But now, for this occasion, that would not do. And so Elsa turned to her mirror, focused on her power and drew upon the very essence of cold and ice. Mentally, she envisioned the crown that was placed upon her head at her coronation, but instead of terrestrial metals and gems, it was comprised of ice made of the purest, crystalline waters. A moment later, Elsa could feel the weight and the coolness of her new crown on her head, and admired how it glistened and shimmered as the sunlight fell upon it. She was the Queen of Arendelle, but she was more than that, too, and best that it not be forgotten.

As Elsa arrived at the throne room, Master Kai announced her, "Lords and Ladies, her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" The throne room was arranged as it had been for the meetings of the Regency Council for the last three years, a set of tables forming an arc behind which sat the five people serving. Previously, however, there would have been an additional table, set at the focus of the arc, where Crown Princess Elsa had sat. Today that table was absent, and the focus of the arc was now the dais where the thrones stood. Where Elsa, Queen of Arendelle would now sit.

The same five individuals who had sat at the tables one month ago now stood, bowing and curtseying as Elsa entered. She strode smoothly across the floor, took the two steps up the platform and settled herself in the larger of the two thrones. Nodding to the five at the tables, Queen Elsa gave them permission to once again sit down. So far, this was the easy part. Papa had practiced this ceremony with her a number of times after her eighteenth birthday, but Papa was gone before he could teach her more. So Elsa would have to depend on her own wits from here on out.

And yes, the throne could use a cushion.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Queen's Council

**Chapter 7 – The Queen's Council**

While she had officially been Queen of Arendelle for a week and a day already, it was now that the real work of monarch would begin, conferring with her council and making rulings under the authority of the crown. Well, in a moment.

Elsa addressed the five people sitting at the tables across from her, "Lady, Gentlemen. I, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, hereby officially dissolve the Regency Council and thank the members for their honorable service. You are dismissed."

A formality, of course, but you cannot have both a Queen and a Regency. And by Arendelle law, the newly raised monarch must dismiss the regency, thus officially assuming the authority of the Crown. And, of course, it is only the crowned monarch who has the authority to dismiss the regency, making it rather circular. But that's the law.

Although she said they were dismissed, none of the five actually left. It was only in their roles as members of the _regency_ council that they were dismissed. Each had also received a letter from the Queen, inviting them to be the inaugural members of the Queen's Council.

And so, after an appropriate pause, Elsa address them again, "Lady, Gentlemen. Each of you have been invited to meet with me as required, to provide conference and advice, and to serve the kingdom with your abilities and expertise. If any of you do not wish to accept, you have my thanks, and my leave to depart."

Normally, this would also just be a formality, but given the _unusual_ events surrounding the coronation, Elsa could not assume that everyone would still be willing to serve under her. Some, perhaps, maybe share the opinions of the Duke of Weselton and condemn her and her abilities.

The man in the center stood. A cool breeze wafted gently through the room, as Elsa tensed, waiting to hear what he would say. "Your Majesty. Speaking for myself and on behalf of my compatriots, we accept your kind invitation, and are eager to provide our council as required."

Elsa exhaled. "Thank you." Then, turning to her right, "Master Lefferson, please take the roll."

As the first Queen's Council approached, Elsa had considered whether she would require any assistance in managing her duties as Queen. Her father had had a personal secretary who had assisted him with his paperwork, correspondence, and scheduling. Elsa had already begun dealing with the many tasks she needed to handle as Queen, and had been able to manage well enough so far. But, she also knew, having observed her father during her lessons, that it would increase significantly soon enough, and so had resigned herself to engaging an assistant of her own. Three days ago, she had approached Kai to ask him to find some candidates, but it seemed the task had already been taken care of. King Adgar's secretary, Conrad Lefferson, had served for a number of years, retiring when the King and Queen were lost. Kai informed Elsa that earlier that day, Conrad Lefferson's son, Yakob Lefferson, had reported to the castle, ready to assume his father's post, just as Elsa was assuming hers.

Yakob Lefferson began as instructed, calling out, "Members of the Queen's Council –"

"Hammand Jaegerhold, High Priest of Arendelle." While Arendelle allowed its people to worship as they wished, the official religion of the kingdom was the Æsir, the old Norse gods. In the early days of Arendelle, worship was done at a sacred grove just outside the village, but over the years, as the kingdom and the city grew, a temple was built, then expanded, and after burning down in a fire a little over two hundred years ago, a cathedral was built in its place. As high priest, the coronation ceremony was his to administer, gloves or no gloves.

"Thorvald Stoltenberg, Guildmaster of Shipwrights." A tall, lanky man, with grey hair and a short grey beard, Stoltenberg was the leader of the Shipwrights, one of the over twenty officially recognized guilds that operated in the kingdom. Representing the business interests of the people of Arendelle, Stoltenberg would serve for only six months on the Queen's Council, before the position would rotate to another guildmaster. This was a tradition, agreed upon by the collected guilds and King Yorrick over fifty years ago, so that no one guild's interest would dominate.

"Arven Skarsgård, Minister of Commerce and Trade." During the closed-gates years, King Adgar would not meet with foreign officials, and therefore had worked closely with Skarsgård and his predecessors to represent Arendelle to other states and kingdoms. Adgar had chosen to emphasize Arendelle's mercantile interests during those years, to compensate for its diminished diplomatic outreach. Skarsgård had proven himself to be well suited for his position, and Arendelle's economy had flourished during that time.

"Anders Ørsted, Admiral of the Navy." Ørsted presented an imposing figure, dressed sharply in his blue naval uniform, solidly built, dark hair with grey streaks at his temples. Among Arendelle's limited armed forces, the Navy was the most important, serving to defend the kingdom from hostiles, and to protect the shipping lanes to and from the kingdom. These days, that primarily meant fighting off pirates and other raiders. The other military forces of Arendelle were the Militia, which contained specialized alpine units, and whose main mission was controlling the kingdom's land borders. Significantly smaller than the navy, the Commander of the Militia reported to the Admiral of the Navy. The monarch of Arendelle, now Queen Elsa, was the supreme commander of Arendelle's military forces. Many of Arendelle's kings, had served in the navy or militia prior to their elevation, the most recent being King Yorrick, Adgar's father. Elsa's knowledge of military matters, however, was based entirely on her readings, and she hoped this would not cause any problems.

"Åse Kleveland, no portfolio." Though now quite advanced in years, Åse Kleveland never seemed to lack for energy, or for an opinion. She was a small woman with starkly white hair, piercing green eyes, and always very well dressed, though distinctly decades out of style. It was a matter of some controversy, twenty-seven years ago, when, shortly after his coronation, King Adgar appointed her to his King's Council, but did not assign to her any specific position. At the time, she was already a grandmother and a widow twice over, and no one could figure out why Adgar has appointed her; he would only say that she was the conscience of the kingdom. Some believed that she was related to the royal family in some way, but no one could ever find any connection. Many years later, Elsa had asked her father about her, and Adgar just said that years ago, she had taught him an important lesson about what it would mean to be king.

Pausing a moment, Lefferson continued, "Servants of the Crown –"

While the members of King's or Queen's Council were appointed by the monarch, their role was to advise their liege on behalf of the people and other interests of kingdom. There needed to be, therefore, those who advocated for the interest and wellbeing of the Crown itself, that is, for the monarch, his or her family, and their property and holdings.

"Kai Halverson, Seneschal of the Keep." Standing to the left of the throne dais, stood Master Kai. He had started working in Arendelle castle when he was a young man, and had worked his way up from a low-ranking porter, and rising, due to his competence and loyalty, eventually to Master Butler, and finally to Seneschal, in charge of all matters regarding the castle, its grounds and associated sub-buildings, and its staff. This role had been quite reduced when the gates were closed thirteen years ago, but that also made it all the more important that he and his now limited staff could handle all the functions of the castle. All the functions, of course, save one…

"Nicolai Krog, Captain of the Guard." That being the physical safety of the monarch, her family, and that of the castle. The Captain of the Guard had the same level of authority as the Seneschal, requiring a balance between their two roles. The Guard were totally separate from the Militia, serving distinctly different missions, though it was not uncommon for men retiring from the militia, or the navy, to then join the Castle Guard. Captain Krog himself had done so, having served in the Militia for over twenty years, eventually mustering out as a Captain in the Militia four years ago, to become a Lieutenant in the Guard, and after two years, upon the old Captain's retirement, rising to Captain himself. Now in his mid-forties, he stood tall in his green Guard uniform, short, black hair and a van-dyke beard. Captain Krog stood to the right of the dais, a ceremonial, but still quite functional, sword hanging from his left hip, and a dagger sheathed on the right.

"Yakob Lefferson, Secretary to the Queen." Lefferson himself sat at a small table ahead and to the right of the dais, a vial of ink to one side and a ledger book open in the middle, into which he rapidly scribed his notes. He was a stout man with dark curly hair and a closely trimmed full beard, spectacles balanced on his nose. He was a few years older than Elsa, and a few inches shorter.

"Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle." Elsa sat in the larger of the two thrones that adorned the dais, since it was the one for the King or Queen regnant. To her right was another, slightly smaller throne. When her father was king, the other throne would be used by her mother, the Queen. Elsa could remember her parents sitting in their thrones, many years ago, before they closed the gates. They weren't used much after that. Now that she was Queen, and the gates were open, the throne room would get much more use than it had. Elsa in the greater throne, and, for now, no one in the lesser. When she married, should she marry, her prince consort would sit there, to assist her in her royal duties. Or perhaps not. Elsa had studied the history of the royal line of Arendelle, and knew that there had been a number of royal spouses who had chosen to not involve themselves in the management of the kingdom, focusing on family and social matters, as well as a number of Kings who had remained bachelors throughout their life, and one unmarried Queen. Some of those monarchs had allowed the Crown Prince or Princess to occupy the lesser throne. Elsa had herself considered eventually inviting Anna to sit with her in the future, since she was now, and for the foreseeable future, her heir.

For the past three years, these five individuals (or another five, there had been a few changes during the interregnum,) had made the decisions for the kingdom, with then Crown Princess Elsa only being asked for advice or opinion, but not truly needing anything from her to take any action. They had always been, for the most part, polite and respectful to her during that time. Though there had been one man who had been outright rude and insulting towards her, the former Guildmaster of Longshoreman and Stevedores, belittling her for both her age and her sex. However, his term on the council ended abruptly and quickly, for reasons never made clear, and his replacement, the Chief of the League of Postal Carriers and Package Handlers, was always _particularly_ polite to both Elsa and Lady Kleveland.

But now the situation was reversed. As Queen, Elsa alone had the authority to make decisions or take action; the council merely advised. A weighty and significant responsibility, and Elsa hoped she would be up to the task. Especially now that the revelation of her powers would potentially complicate that task.

* * *

The man quietly entered the Duke's office through the hidden panel, resealing it behind him. Standing in the shadowed corner, he cleared his throat to get the Duke's attention.

"What? Oh, good, it's you," said the Duke to the man.

"You summoned me, your Grace, and I came. How may I serve you?"

"You know what happened, yes? In Arendelle? What they did to me? What _she_ did?" the Duke excitedly queried his visitor.

"Queen Elsa and the ice? Yes, I have heard," the man calmly replied.

"Sorcery! Unholy magic! She tried to kill me! And now she thinks she can ruin me. Well, I won't have it. Here!" The Duke of Wesselton thrust a stack of paper at the man. The man took two steps, closing the distance between them, took the papers and began reading it.

"Well?" demanded the Duke, after only a few seconds.

"Are you sure of this, my Grace? It will require cashing in many favors, and most will not be eager to participate."

"That's why I gave you the list! It itemizes what you need to tell or do for each one to get them to agree. I want them all. If any say no, I will ruin them!"

"Yes, your Grace."

"And here. While you're handling the list, have some of your men take care of these as well." The Duke pressed another stack of paper at the man.

Paging through the second sheaf, the man replied, "And what should be done with them?"

"Take them to the Compound. That will keep them safe, and we can see what use they might be."

"Yes, your Grace."

The man stood patiently as the Duke seemed to be chewing his mustache, lost in thought.

"Will there be anything else, your Grace?" asked the man.

"What? No, that's all. You may go."

The man bowed slightly, replying "Yes, your Grace," turned, and slipped out the same way he entered.

On the other side of the secret door, Avram Bashir contemplated his situation. So far, his association with the Duke of Wesselton had proven profitable and allowed him to pursue his vocation with little restriction. But with the Duke's recent adoption of this austere, nearly puritanical, new creed going about the continent, and now his fixation over Arendelle and its Queen, he wondered if it was nearing time to sever their relationship. And of course, said separation would likely involve an unidentifiable dagger, or perhaps poison. One certainly cannot leave loose ends or waggling tongues when ending a situation such as theirs. But Bashir decided to play out this latest assignment; its results would likely determine the Duke's future, one way or the other.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And with the publication of chapter 6, the number of views/visitors jumped from only several hundred to well over a thousand. Whatever anyone has done or shared to increase the attention to my story, thank you very much. I'm glad people are enjoying it.


	8. Chapter 8 - Counsel of the Queen

**Chapter 8 – Counsel of the Queen**

The throne room was quiet, its inhabitants all waiting for Elsa to start things. For the past three years, the council led their own meetings, Elsa listening in, asking the occasional question, but a passive participant. Now, she was the leader. So Elsa took a steadying breath, and got things started.

"Master Skarsgård, you have something to report?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he began. "According to your instructions, any mercantile or diplomatic ships bearing the flag of the Duchy of Wesselton were to be turned away and not be permitted to dock at our ports or along our shores. These instructions were given to Admiral Ørsted and passed along to the fleet captains."

The admiral picked up from there, "During the first five days, we turned away a total of six ships flagged by Wesselton. One ship, the _Mercator_, was rather insistent, however. It was nearly necessary to board it before it would turn away. Had that occurred, if we're not at war now, I'm sure we would be."

Minister Skarsgård continued, "After that, however, something changed. Ships that we have in our logs as having flown Wesselton in the past, now came in to port with the flag of Kungbacka."

"That was our intention, was it not?" Elsa queried. "That merchants stop supporting Wesselton and register their ships and do business with other states?"

Nodding, he replied, "Had they switched to, say, Oslo or Copenhagen, then we could say our plan was effective. But Kungbacka is an ally of Wesselton. Well, less of an ally and more of a vassal or puppet state."

Leaning forward, Elsa said, "Please explain."

"Kungbacka's industry is primarily agriculture. About seven years ago, they suffered a major crop failure, a fungus outbreak of some sort. They couldn't even keep their own people fed, and certainly had no surplus for trade. That's when Wessleton jumped in. He offered Kungbacka loans so they could import food, but did nothing to address the original problem, so a year later, they just needed more, and could do nothing about the original debts. Wesselton would then request favors or preferential access to their markets, and if they refused, the old debts would become due. But if the agreed, further financing would be arranged. This downward spiral continued until they could do nothing without Wesselton's approval. And thus Kungbacka becomes a puppet throne of Wesselton's."

Elsa frowned, thinking about this. She did remember hearing about the crop failure from Papa, but he had been more concerned about not letting any of Kungbacka's infected grain into Arendelle.

Skarsgård continued, "And it's just one of over a dozen kingdoms that he has control over. The current Duke's father started the practice over thirty years ago, but the Duke has really picked up the practice. Arendelle has been blessed with a good diversity of tradable goods, not over specializing, and so hasn't fallen victim to Wesselton's manipulations, though we have maintained trade agreements."

Looking to both Skarsgård and the Admiral, she asked, "And what do you propose we do about Kungbacka, then?"

"We could extend the trade ban, but it would be much harder to justify. It would make Your Majesty's new regime seem capricious."

Elsa back in the throne, right hand held to her chin in thought. After about a minute, she perked up. "Let them come," she declared.

Surprised, Minister Skarsgård spoke up, "Your Majesty?"

"The merchants are not our enemy. Arendelle welcomes them and their commerce. Let's even encourage them, perhaps a customs holiday?" Elsa glanced back to the minister, who gave a tentative nod. "Make it clear that they have options beyond that of appeasing Wesselton. Pass word along to our allies, see if they would be willing to participate as well. And just as importantly, to Wesselton's victims; they should know that they have choices, too."

Skarsgård was busily writing notes, while the Admiral sat back in his chair, arms crossed, looking pensive.

Elsa then turned to Stoltenberg, the representative of the guilds. "Master Stoltenberg, how go the repairs?" While the effects of the Great Freeze on the town were not great, they were a bit more severe on the fjord. Many ships experienced at least minor damage, several took significant damage, and two were damaged beyond repair. In the harbor, several piers were rendered non-operational by the ice, and one completely collapsed. Since the thaw, the shipbuilders and carpenters have been at non-stop work. Ships would be repaired enough to become seaworthy and return to their home ports. The owners of the ships that been totaled, however, would need to be compensated for their loss. The damage to the ports reduced the number of ships that could dock, and interfered with the regular loading and unloading of goods, the very beating heart of a seaport. The highest priority had been placed on these repairs.

Stoltenberg cleared his throat and glanced uncomfortably at some papers he had. "Slowly, Your Majesty. Only half the damaged ships have been made seaworthy again. And the work on the piers has come to a dead stop." Stoltenberg paused, seeming reluctant to continue. "The woodcutters have been working more on collecting firewood for the town, and so the greater wood needed for ship repairs and the pier has been scarce."

Elsa nodded. "That was my doing, but it is over now. The woodcutters should be able to focus on your needs."

"Aye, Your Majesty, that takes care of supplies. But there is also a labor problem. Many men simply refuse to work on the new replacement pier."

"Why?"

"Um, no one reason. Some say it's cursed, or holy, or something, and just won't come near it. The reasons keep changing each day, Your Majesty. But over the last couple days, a lot of them have gotten the idea that _you _would replace it yourself. There's a story going around that you made an ice castle on the North Mountain. And so men are saying that you are going to, or should, build a new pier with your ice, er, magic. Many of the men who started the work have even stopped." He shrugged, expressing helplessness.

Elsa blinked, somewhat stunned by what she was hearing. "They want me to build a new pier? An ice pier? Would that even work? I mean, yes, I did make an ice castle, but..." She felt like she was babbling, so she stopped to catch her breath.

Her voice crackling, Åse Kleveland finally spoke up. "The men are unsure, worried that their hard work will be destroyed again the next time Her Majesty has a tantrum." That was a bit harsh. Elsa glared at Madam Kleveland, but she seemed unaffected. "Now an ice pier is out of the question, it would never work, people and cargo slipping all over. No no. But you should do something. Arendelle is a special place, now even more so with its special Queen. These are proud Arendelle men, and they are looking for something to connect more with you. So give them something, for them and for all people coming to our shores. A grand display, in ice. A great arch, or a pavilion, something for all to see and know that they are in Arendelle and nowhere else. And not melt, of course, like your little snowman friend. You can do that, yes?"

Elsa sat there, stupefied. She wondered why her father had kept this woman on his council so long, given her attitude. But then she did seem to see right to the heart of the matter...

"Thank you. I will have to think about it."

Elsa rubbed her eyes with her hand. She had _so_ hoped this meeting would go smoothly, without any incidents, a smooth start to her reign. But no.

"Bishop Jaegerhold, how are the affairs of the temple?" asked Elsa, hoping said temple affairs were quiet and unremarkable.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he replied in calm, gentle tones. "The temple has gained popularity in the last week. The events following your coronation seem to have resulted in a resurgence in many people's devotion to the old gods. They seem quite concerned about, excuse me for saying, you, Your Majesty."

Elsa sighed. "Concerned about me, very well. And what are the people's concerns?"

"Well, Your Majesty, some feel you were sent to us by Odin, as a blessing, other are saying the same, but as a test. And there a few who suggest that you are a creation of Loki."

Elsa slumped back in her throne, feeling a bit dejected. "Very well, Bishop, tell me. What am I?" Elsa asked sardonically.

Surprised by the Queen direct question, Jaegerhold spluttered a bit before getting his words out, "What? Oh, I am in no position to make such lofty theological findings." He shook his head. "I have written down my experiences of the events surrounding Your Majesty's coronation, and sent it to several of my peers, as well as to the Circle of Elders in Lillestrøm. It is they who may make any form of official pronouncement regarding Your Majesty."

"So what do you tell the people? Do you have an opinion of your own?" demanded Elsa.

Sitting up straight, Jaegerhold made a firm declaration, "I tell the people that you are the child of King Agdar and Queen Irdun, raised with the Queen's grace and the King's wisdom. As they cherished them, they should cherish you; as they respected them, they should respect you; as they forbore judgment of the King, so should they forbear judgment of you. The source of your power, be it a blessing or curse, may be a mystery, but the wielder of that power is our Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and we love her."

Elsa's vision blurred with tears at the priest's words, moved as she was by his pronouncement.

Åse Kleveland, noticing Elsa's disconcertion, took the initiative to draw the others into conversation and give the Queen a few moments to collect herself. "Master Stoltenberg, what is this I hear about the city brewers and bakers hosting a festival in the fall?"

The guildmaster pulled his eyes from the Queen and turned to the elderly lady, "Oh, it is more than just them, it's also the vintners, inn-keepers, the musicians and actors. Even the fisherman, hunters and trappers, and the carpenters will be quite busy as it approaches. It was the Mayor's idea, to bring back the Harvest Festival. He has been working on the idea for a few years, but finally decided that this would be the year, with it being Queen Elsa's first year making it that much more special. A grand display of all of Arendelle's goods, food and drink, entertainment of all sort. With it having been canceled for fourteen years, the businesses and guilds are all quite excited."

"Yes, yes. That all sound quite lovely. A grand party. I am quite looking forward to it," declared Lady Kleveland. It was, of course, impossible that she didn't know everything about the upcoming festival already, but with a quick glance to verify that the Queen had regained her composure, she smiled back at the guildmaster, her mission accomplished.

Straightening herself on her throne, Elsa resumed the lead. "Are there any other items to report?"

The Admiral cleared his throat, "Perhaps one, Your Majesty, which you may find of interest. Marshall Sverdrup reported to me that his alpine troops have needed to rescue several parties traveling in the area of the North Mountain. Normally, that area is only traversed by experienced climbers and ice harvesters, but it seem that word of your ice palace had spread amongst the people, and some are attempting to reach the peak to see it. None appear to have been successful, however. The few who have actually reached the North Mountain reported that their way was blocked by a monstrous snow creature. The Marshall has since stationed a contingent of troops in the area to steer travelers away and assist if necessary."

The Admiral paused briefly, then continued, "The guardian, it is your creation? Like the snowman, Your Majesty?"

Elsa hesitated, not sure how much to say. "Yes, it is mine. It and Olaf are the only ones, though. If you were thinking that I could create more to be used in the militia, I'm afraid that I am not sure how I created them, and if I could do it again."

"Oh, no, Your Majesty. While it might be interesting to see, any strategy, offensive or defensive, cannot depend on a single individual. That person could be made unavailable too readily by any number of methods, rendering that strategy useless. A proper attack or defense plan must be repeatable and scalable. A single point of failure will lead to just that, failure. If, however, we could form a full unit of men with your powers, Your Majesty, that would be very different."

"Thank you, Admiral. That would be another thing to think about."

Elsa then queried the group, "Anything else?"

No one spoke up. "Very well. So you are aware, I am contemplating expanding the council, inviting Master Vogt, the Minister of Finance to join us, as well as someone to serve as Minister of the Interior and Agriculture. I have not settled on it, however, and welcome your feedback and suggestions. The crown, however, will be retaining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

There was no fixed number of members of the council, nor specific roles for the members; each King or Queen shaped it for his or her needs and that of the kingdom. In Arendelle, Foreign Affairs, the handling of diplomatic matters with other states, were usually handled by the crown, the King or Queen themselves, though on occasion, a separate Minister was appointed.

"Master Skarsgård, Admiral, please join me in my office in ten minutes. We need to discuss some matters more specifically."

Taking his cue, Captain Krog stepped up onto the dais, coming to the Queen side, and escorted Elsa out of the throne room. They were quickly followed by Masters Halverson and Lefferson, who, along with Captain Krog, would each be returning to their regular duties.

Turning down the castle hallway, Elsa hurried up the staircase, down the corridor, rushed into the library and shut the door. A moment later, there was a heavy dusting of snow on the floor. Elsa breathed steadily, regaining her nerves. She and Anna had discussed it, no more "Conceal. Don't feel," even if things get tough, and her first council meeting had been a hilly ride, but it still would be best not to freeze the throne room due to stress. But now, alone in the library, she could _let it go_, let her power flow free. After a few minutes, Elsa felt much better, and sweeping her arms up into the air, she dismissed the snow. Not fair to the castle staff to just leave it to melt on its own, quite the mess and it would ruin the wooden floors.

Stepping out into the hallway, she caught the attention of a servant, Frøya, a girl about sixteen years old, newly hired, and asked for some tea to be sent up. Elsa then went through the internal door to her office, sat down and waited for the Minister and Admiral to arrive.

* * *

By the time Anna woke up, the sun had already been up for hours, and Elsa would be busy with her "Queen Stuff." Anna really wanted to talk to Elsa more about the previous night's revelations, but she also knew Elsa would be busy all morning.

So first she had breakfast, by herself. It was kind of how it was, after Mama and Papa were gone and Elsa was still in hiding. Anna, alone.

But this morning, despite appearances, she wasn't _really_ alone. Okay, sure, there was no one else with her having breakfast, but she wasn't _alone_ alone. Elsa was just busy and they would be together again for lunch! Maybe. Unless her meetings and stuff longer and she had to work through lunch and into the afternoon. Fine, they would be together again _this afternoon_. Queen Stuff shouldn't take _that_ long to finish, right?

Actually, Anna had no idea how long Queen Stuff should take, and so she finished her breakfast, and decided to go to the portrait gallery, one of her favorite places to spend her time during the lonely years. It had been a little while since she was last there, the morning of Coronation Day, as she danced around the castle, imagining what it would be like with the gates open.

And so, back again, Anna chatted with the lady on the swing, the picnicking couple, and, of course, Joan. She told them about Elsa, and about Kristoff, and Olaf. And she even talked about him, Prince Hans, and unfortunately, a particular portrait that was hanging in the wrong place at the wrong time may never be the same. After hanging it back up on the wall and straightening it out the best she could, Anna decided maybe the gallery is not the best place right now, and headed back out into the castle halls.

Having decided to now go the gardens, Anna strode purposefully down the main hall to the back of castle, where she happened to cross paths with Master Kai.

"Ah, Princess Anna, I am glad to have found you. Queen Elsa asked me to tell you that she has one more meeting to complete this morning, and then she would be done with her official duties for the day."

Anna clasped her hands together in excitement, "Great! I'll go find the chef and tell him what we're going to want for lunch. Something special to celebrate her first Queen's Council!"

Kai smiled, "Yes, Your Highness, I think she would appreciate that very much." Kai then pulled a packet of papers from under his arm and handed them to Anna, "And these are for you."

Anna looked at them, not comprehending. "What is it?"

"Letters and other correspondences."

"You want me to give them Elsa?"

Kai laughed lightly, "No, Your Highness. They're for you."

"For me? No one writes to me. I'm just the spare."

"Well, perhaps you can mention that in your responses. Good day, Your Highness." And with a bow, Kai moved on down the hallway.

Anna flipped through the half dozen envelopes she now held, all addressed, in some fashion, to Princess Anna of Arendelle. Noticing a comfortable bench there in the hallway, she sat down and opened the first one.

* * *

It took about an hour for Elsa, Minister Skarsgård, and Admiral Ørsted to complete their meeting, discussing their strategies. They had, for one, decided to make a serious statement to the world in offering an alternative to Wesselton; more than a reduction in customs, they would also be offering companies the ability to register their fleet with Arendelle for only a token fee, and to grant other advantages to opening trade centers in Arendelle as well. Given that this would likely aggravate Wesselton and any of its so-called allies, they also made plans increasing the patrols of Arendelle's waters and to ensure safe passage for merchants to and from Arendelle's ports. It would likely require an increase in their maritime forces, both ships and seamen. However, that increase would take time, and so messages would be sent to a number of Arendelle's allies, requesting assistance in these efforts.

And, while discussing the matter of Arendelle's allies, another decision was made. A coronation would normally be an event attended by many foreign dignitaries, and would often double as a diplomatic function. However, Elsa had planned to continue her isolation even after her elevation to Queen, since she had not yet managed to gain control of her curse, and thus few invitations were send to other kingdoms. Therefore, only a handful of diplomatic persons attended, and several of them attempted to murder her and her sister. Not the best of royal summits.

But given her change of outlook, and her new international celebrity, it would be a good idea to make up for what was missed earlier. And the mayor's Harvest Festival provided an excellent pretext. She had decided that alongside the festival, the crown would be hosting a royal ball and several formal dinners, welcoming their allies and those that Arendelle would have as allies. In just under three months, Arendelle, and its royal family, small as it is, would open itself to the world, Odin help us all.

* * *

After seeing the minister and admiral out, Elsa went looking for Anna. It was a little late, but Elsa hoped Anna would still be available for lunch, and then for whatever else they decided to do. But shortly after emerging from her office hallway, she encounter Master Kai.

"Your Majesty, Lady Kleveland is still here in the castle, and requested to see you after your business with the Minister and Admiral was complete. I took her to the small sitting room to wait."

Curious. "Thank you, I'll go see her now. If Princess Anna is still about the castle, and hasn't already had lunch, please ask her to join me when I'm done with Lady Kleveland, and ask the chef to put something simple together."

Kai smiled, knowingly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I believe the Princess is still about. I will let her know." He bowed, and moved on about his business.

A few minutes later, Elsa arrived at the indicated sitting room, one of several rooms off of the main entrance hallway of the castle, where guests can be settled, away from other guests, crowds, or random castle traffic. Like the rest of the castle, they had not gotten much use in the last decade, but now they were in the process of being cleaned up for regular use once again. The small sitting room, given its size and convenient location, was one of the first to become functional again.

As Elsa entered, Åse Kleveland put down her cup of tea, and started to rise from her seat to curtsey, but Elsa waved her down, saying "Please don't. It's not necessary when we're in private."

Lady Kleveland settled herself back down in her seat. "A most interesting session of council, wouldn't you say? You held yourself well, quite well I think. Yes, your father would be proud."

"Thank you," Elsa replied.

"And that is a daring move you chose, your response to Weasel Town."

"The customs holiday? That's nothing really, we—" Elsa started to reply, but was cut off.

"That, and the ship registry and depot subsidies, and the royal party with the festival. Going full bore. I don't think your father would have chosen such a bold strategy, but it's good that you are your own woman."

Elsa was bit shocked. She had completed her meeting only minutes ago, and somehow this woman already knew what they had discussed.

"And you best be careful, at this summit yours. Oh, the international politics, you'll handle that just fine. Any of them give you lip, just freeze their wine and give them a look, and they'll know which way the breeze is blowing. But watch out, the council will be trying to find you some pretty spare prince to marry you to, get some little princes and princess about the place." She laughed a bit at that. "But if you decided to eschew the royals, I have a grandson who I think would suit you. A tall, good looking boy and he always listens to his mother."

Elsa shook her head. The last thing she had on her mind now was suitors. Though had her parents not closed the gates, it's likely that both she and Anna would have already had royal marriages arranged. She certainly had mixed feelings about that, though her parents' marriage was arranged and they certainly loved each other. But they did have the chance to meet and spend time together, and either could have called it off had they chosen to. Elsa was sure that her parents would have given her and Anna the same courtesy.

Lady Kleveland reached over to the side table, and pull a book from her bag, and handed it to Elsa. "Your father gave me this to read. I was going to return it, of course, but certain events… so, here it is."

Elsa looked at the book. It wasn't a published book, but something more like a ledger, originally with blank pages and light green lines. Opening it, Elsa recognized the handwriting, her father's. She looked up back at Kleveland.

"Something of memoir, or a journal. But not really, he didn't discuss day to day events, it seems to have been more of a place to discuss philosophies and moral dilemmas." She paused a moment, then continued. "He doesn't mention you and your power specifically, and he never told me himself, but now knowing, I can see that he was struggling greatly with it. The competing needs he saw in preparing you for the crown, but also to keep you hidden and safe, his love for both you and your sister. It clearly tore him up, the conflicting priorities he had to balance. All this in addition to his duties as King."

Elsa glanced back down at the book. An insight into Papa soul? She didn't know if she was brave enough to actually read it.

Åse Kleveland stood up, "Well, I best be off. I have my own family to manage. I have a grand-daughter about to give me another great-grand-child in a few days, her first, and I need to explain a few things to her and that boy she married."

And with a laugh, "Given all the excitement lately, if it's a girl, I wouldn't be surprised if she names her Elsa."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the week's delay in posting, but work and travel got in the way. But in the end we get an extra, bonus sized chapter.

And given Frozen's popularity, how popular have the names "Elsa" and "Anna", or even "Kristoff" for boys, been over the last year? I'm sure the pre-school and kindergarten teachers will be dealing with it in a few years...


	9. Chapter 9 - Memories

**Chapter 9 – Memories**

After Elsa and Anna's surprisingly ornate lunch, the queen and princess retired to the library for some privacy. This library had been here as long as the castle stood, over six hundred years, and it is said that many of the older books were brought in from the royal family's prior stronghold. It was a great collection, and it was often opened it to visiting scholars and researchers. It contained books ranging from those of law and history that Elsa, her father, and the many monarchs before them regularly used, to tomes on science and mathematics, and many shelves of stories and other fiction.

It was a large room with several windows overlooking the courtyard, a couch and several chairs, tables by the seats and along the edges of the room. And along one wall was a large, panoramic painting of King Agdar at his coronation, still a young man, crown upon his head, ceremonial orb and scepter in his hands.

But the couch and chairs were comfortable, and a chess set along with a few other games sat upon the tables near them. A few books also lay scattered about, some from their recent shopping trip in town, one of fables from the continent currently being read by Anna, and another documenting the decline and fall of the great Southern Empire, read by Elsa.

But it was an unusual circumstance to have both Elsa and Anna here in the room at the same time. During their long years of separation, there seems to have arisen an unspoken time-sharing policy for this room. Elsa would often have her lessons with Papa or her other tutors here in the library in the morning and into early afternoon, while Anna had hers in her rooms, or elsewhere in the castle. But after three o'clock, Elsa will have retreated back to her room, and the library became open to Anna, who enjoyed the stories and the large tomes with copies of great works of art from around the world, and would often return after dinner with Mama, and sometime Papa if he was free, for games and stories before bed.

And even after the king and queen were gone, the time split continued, just out of habit, or perhaps as a way of remembering Papa and Mama. Now, of course, there were no restrictions. In fact, it was just that time, three o'clock, when in the past neither girl would be in the library. Instead, Elsa and Anna were now both here, together.

"…and on top, you should make a giant ice dragon, but instead of shooting fire out of its mouth, there should be a big burst of sparkly ice!" Anna, her head ducked down between her shoulders, held her arms stiffly forward, fingers spread wide, imitating that very dragon breathing out an ice storm. They had discussed the goings-on of the Queen's Council over lunch, and Anna was quite taken with idea of Elsa erecting a giant ice sculpture of some sort by the docks, and was full of ideas, the dragon being just the latest.

Anna was also quite excited about Elsa's decision to hold a royal ball during the festival, and had already listed enough things that they needed to do in preparation to fill the intervening three months several times over. The most important one, according to Anna, was for Elsa to learn to dance. Elsa had had some lessons when she was little, but after she hurt Anna, she was too afraid to touch anyone, any further lessons became impossible. But now Anna said she would hunt down her old dance instructor Master Coulomb and drag him out of retirement to teach Elsa. "If we're having a ball, then there is dancing, and so her majesty needs to know how, right? And besides," suggested Anna with a smile, "what if there _was_ some handsome prince…"

But eventually the conversation turned back to that of the previous night.

"Elsa, I've been thinking," Anna started. Knowing this would be difficult, she took both of Elsa's hands in her own and held tight. "When we were little, I lost two important things from my life. I lost my sister and I lost my memories." Anna could feel Elsa's hands getting cold, it even stung a little, but she held on all the tighter. "We had to go through a lot of crazy stuff, but I have my sister back. And I couldn't be happier." Snow was swirling around the room a bit, but it was a good kind of snow storm. "So, I was wondering if I could get my memories back."

Elsa looked Anna in the eyes, and any idea of saying no melted away. Some older sister, some _queen_, she's going to be if can't say no to anything her little sister, the _princess,_ asked. Well, she _did_ say no about Hans…

"I don't know if it's possible, but I guess we could go see the trolls and ask."

Anna clasped her hands in front of her in excitement, but then got a look of concern on her face. "How are we going to get there? I wasn't really paying attention when we left the troll valley and came back to the castle, and Kristoff is off in the mountains right now. Maybe Olaf remembers?"

"We should be able to get there ourselves. I found the map Papa used when we went the first time, here in the library." Elsa said, calming Anna down. "But it's probably best we go without Kristoff," she continued with a concerned tone.

"Huh? What's wrong with Kristoff?" asked Anna.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Kristoff. He certainly took good care of you, so I don't think he means us any harm. But there's something he's not telling us, I'm pretty sure," declared Elsa.

"What do you mean?"

So Elsa explained, "He was there, with the trolls, when we were little and they cured you. Fine. But after the coronation, when you were following me up the mountain, the person you just happened to meet along the way, the only one who could really help you, just happens to be the same person, Kristoff? That seems to be a very big coincidence. "

"Hmm," Anna hmmed. "And you know, when I first talked to him, at the trading post and sauna where I got clothes and carrots, he _did_ seems to already know what was going on, said it was happening on the North Mountain and that it was magical. Like he already knew about you. Which, I guess, he did. Hey!"

Elsa nodded. "Again, I don't think he means us any ill, but like you said last night, he has some explaining to do."

Elsa strode over to a clearly less often used corner of the library, judging from the dust, and looked though the books. After a few moments, she pulled one out, carefully opened it, the book being rather old and falling apart, and withdrew a worn sheet of parchment, the map.

Returning to Anna, Elsa said, "We can get a cart, but once we're off the main paths, it will be hard going."

Anna countered, "Then we'll just ride horses."

Else shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I can't ride. I stopped taking lessons, after… so I barely remember how."

Anna smiled. "We'll be fine. I have the _perfect_ horse, just for you."

* * *

It took a little over an hour to get ready for the trip. Getting food packed for travel, horses prepared, changing to riding clothes (luckily Anna had more than one riding habit, so Elsa was able to borrow a split skirt from one to make a passable riding outfit of her own,) and taking most of the time, arguing with Captain Krog. Allow both the Queen and the Crown Princess to go riding into the mountains, likely long into the night, to a location that they would not reveal, without an escort? He was on the verge of either resigning his post in protest or locking the castle down so they could not leave at all, when finally he and Elsa were able to come to a compromise. He and three additional guards would accompany the royal party most of the way to the Queen's undisclosed destination. At a certain point, they would separate, the guards remaining behind while the Queen and Princess would continue to the end of their travels, which Elsa promised would be no farther than an additional hour. The guards would make camp and wait for their return. If, however, they were gone for longer than twenty-four hours, they would then be authorized to come find them.

Captain Krog still did not like it and expressed his opinion on the matter quite vigorously, but Elsa eventually had to invoke her authority as queen. This was a private, but very important matter, which she and her sister needed to attend to. Luckily, summers in Arendelle, being as far north as it was, ran long, so they would not be travelling in the dark until near the end of their travels.

* * *

After instructing Master Lefferson to clear Elsa's schedule for the next day, the party left the castle, and once outside the city, headed north along the Langsæ Road. After about an hour's travel, they crossed over a stream and eventually passing by the Langsæ Farm, the last before the road turned and started rising towards the mountains.

Two guards lead the way, Captain Krog and another guard trailed behind, and Elsa and Anna rode in the middle. Each guard wore a chainmail shirt and helmet, and was armed with their sword, hanging in its sheath from the guard's belt, a short-spear, held onto the saddle of each horse by a couple hooks, and a crossbow, along with a handful of bolts. One guard from the front and one from the rear-guard would have their crossbows pulled and loaded, in case of an attack, human or animal, while the other two would be ready with their spears for closer melee. Periodically, they would switch, both to keep the guards from losing focus, as well as to release the tension from the crossbows strings, as they shouldn't be kept pulled for extended periods of time since it harms the string (though each guard did, of course, carry spare strings in case of damage.) This close to the city, attacks of any sort were unlikely, but the guards were not taking any chances with their particular coterie.

This afternoon, Elsa was rather enjoying the outing. The weather was clear and the temperature dropping, so it was quite pleasant to be outside. And Elsa herself hadn't traveled outside the castle for the last thirteen years, except for that one particular trip just over one week ago, and that wasn't exactly for sightseeing. And while she hadn't ridden a horse for all that time as well, her lessons were coming back to her readily enough. But then again, it could be the horse.

"I had no idea his horse had been left behind," said Elsa.

"Well, we can just say it the start of the Southern Isles paying us back for all the trouble _he_ caused. Besides, he's a fjord-horse, so he belong up here, not down in those islands." Anna replied.

"And he's very easy to ride. It's almost like I never stopped riding."

"His name is Sitron, which is another word for lemon, which apparently they grow a lot of in the Southern Isles. Still, they should have given him a good Viking name, like Leif or Gudfred. Anyway, he's really smart. When I bumped into him at the docks, when I first met Prince Jerk-face, Sitron was acting like he understood what we were saying, and did things like bowing, and saving us from falling into the water, and stuff. Yesterday, I was talking to him in the stables, and he was talking back, in his horse way."

Elsa looked at Anna, "He talked?"

"You know, like how Kristoff and Sven talk."

"Anna, you know it's really Kristoff talking in a funny voice, not really Sven."

"Of course, I know that. But they spent their whole lives together, they're best buddies, and so Kristoff has just learned to understand what Sven is saying, and just says it out loud for him…" Anna trailed off.

After a few moments of silence, Anna starts up again, "Okay, I know it sounds kind of crazy—"

But Elsa cut in, "Actually, no. It sounds a lot like something Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene were telling me."

"Who?"

"Rapunzel is the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Corona, one of our close trading partners and allies. She and her husband came to the coronation. After everything settled down and we had gotten rid of the Duke and his men, and put Hans on the Loraine ship to be sent home, I had to do a bit of diplomatic, umm, damage control. So I was having a meeting with each of the official delegations that any other kingdom or city-state sent to Arendelle. To apologize and make sure I hadn't ruined any of our agreement or treaties. Rapunzel and Eugene were actually the only other royalty attending other than Hans and the Duke."

"Yeah, I think I heard about them. Why didn't I meet them?"

"I was going to invite you to our meeting, since I had already filled the day with meetings with other kingdoms, but you had gone to talk to the carpenters about Kristoff's new sled."

Anna nodded, remembering the day.

"We're actually related, to the Corona royal family, if you go back a couple generations. That's part of why we're allies, and why Princess Rapunzel agreed to the Wesselton embargo."

Elsa continued explaining, "Apparently, they had quite an adventure before they got married. It seems that Prince Eugene used to be a thief, and was being hunted by the guard, but especially so by one of the guard's _horse_, named Maximus. Apparently, it was a very smart and motivated horse. And when it was all over, they appointed the horse to be the commander of their guards. Now, I knew that Eugene had been a thief before he married Rapunzel, so I just thought they were telling me a funny story, to help calm things down. But from what you're saying, and now that I've met Sitron here," Elsa patted him on his side, "I can believe it."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

\- Just for fun, a little real-life geography. The Langsæveien (veien is Norwegian for 'road') is an actual road leading out of Arendal, Norway, and after crossing some water, leads you to the Langsæ Farm.

\- Yes, finally had to do the Tangled cross-over. But I decided not to make them first cousins, that's too easy.


	10. Chapter 10 - Ascension

**Chapter 10 – Ascension**

Kristoff sat on his sled, now full of the ice that he had spent the day harvesting, and took in the view. He had woken shortly after sunrise, headed out of Ice Town and into the mountains. Kristoff had decided to head to the peak of Mt. Ørjas, one of the harder mountains to climb, with lots of sharp turns and steep, rough trails. But since Kristoff was an independent, he didn't have to worry about a crew, or navigating with a large ice cart. It was just him, his sled, and his reindeer. And Mt. Ørjas was worth the effort. It was taller than most mountains in the Arendelle range, and so the spring water was more pure, the ice clearer and, for those who could appreciate it, better tasting.

It had taken about two hours to get to the peak and what he was looking for, a mountain spring that fed a small lake, nicely iced over. It had been a long and hard day's work, but it was worth it. He was collecting ice for the castle, so it should be of the highest quality. Elsa and Anna were having some fancy dinner party in a couple days, and so they should have the best ice.

But now, with the day's work complete, Kristoff had started a small fire, warmed up some food and drink, and admired the scenery. From these heights, he could see the whole kingdom. Well, the tops of it, anyway, the city was mostly out of view to the south. The only mountain taller than Mt. Ørjas was the North Mountain, which he could easily see to the west. And on it, he could see Elsa's ice palace, glistening as the evening sun moved behind it. Beautiful, thought Kristoff, as beautiful as the woman who created it.

* * *

Late in the evening, Elsa, Anna, and their escort had reached the destination of the first phase of their travel. The trip had been entirely uneventful, though you wouldn't have known it based on Captain Krog's efforts. He and his guards kept a constant vigil, and even stopped their progress on a couple occasions to send one man ahead to scout around a curve. Anna commented a couple times about the Captain taking his job too seriously, but Elsa respected him for his diligence.

While they were not as high into the mountains as Kristoff, not even up to the summer snow line, they had reached a promontory. From this minor peak, they had quite the vantage of the surrounding area, though it was fading fast into the twilight. Elsa could see, based on her map, the valley where she and Anna would be continuing. Looking north, she could also see her ice palace on North Mountain. It was still quite distant, and thus appeared very small, but she knew it was there. And it called to her. Despite her reconciliation with Anna and the people of Arendelle, she still felt drawn to its snowy reaches, where she was able to just _let it go, _and release the full breadth of her powers. Feel the freedom of the mountain heights and the glory of the wind and sky.

Things hadn't gone well, there on the North Mountain, her disastrous encounter with Anna, and the attack that came after. She didn't even have any memory of leaving her palace; she must have been carried down the whole way, not waking again until she found herself locked in her own castle's dungeon. Those memories, she could do without. And so Elsa made a promise to herself that she would return to the North Mountain soon, reclaim her palace from the pain of those events, take a break from being Queen, and simply enjoy being Elsa.

But for now, she and Anna had other matters to attend to. Elsa turned to Captain Krog, "Princess Anna and I will be proceeding from here on own on. We don't know how long things will take, however."

Waving towards the valley, she continued, "After dawn, assuming we haven't already returned, I will create a gentle snow fall, which will indicate that all is well. If you ever see an ice storm, however, come find us immediately. If things are going to take more the twenty-four hours we agreed on, but everything is still okay, I will send a messenger."

Anna then jumped in, "If time runs out comes and you need to find us, and there's been no message or good snow, you might want to get Olaf. Tell him that we've gone to see the 'love experts.' He'll know what that means and should be able to help."

Elsa turned to Anna, "Love experts?"

Anna shrugged, "It's a Kristoff thing."

* * *

"It's Kristoff's girl!" "It's the Queen!" "Your Majesty!" "Where's my Kristoff?" "The Queen!" "_Two_ girls!"

Elsa and Anna arrived in the moss ring in the low valley about an hour after leaving the guards. With the sun setting and their path heading down behind the mountain tops, it had gotten dark quickly, so they were happy to have arrived at what the map indicated was the "Valley of the Living Rock," which Elsa did not recognize, it having been so long ago, but which Anna energetically did. "This is it! We're here!" she told Elsa. Then to the round stones scattered around the valley, "Hello Kristoff's family!"

The stones' rolling and sudden transformation spooked Anna's horse Starlilly, distracting her while she got her horse under control. Elsa's mount, Sitron, merely retreated a few cautions steps. Elsa dismounted and addressed the troll nearest her, "Hello. My name's Elsa. And this is my sister, Anna. I was hoping we could talk to the troll elder, the one who knows about magic?"

"Grand Pabbie!" called out Anna, who had just managed to settle Starlilly down.

The troll woman looked over at Anna and smiled. "Oh, I remember you. Anna was here just a little while ago with my Kristoff! It was a bit longer for you, but I remember. Pabbie is still sleeping, but he should be up soon."

Anna, having turned Starlilly over to Sitron, came over. "Um, hi," she said to the troll woman.

"Where's my Kristoff?" the troll demanded of Anna. "You didn't make him sad and make him run away, did you? He does that sometimes, you know."

"What? No! He's happy. He's in the mountains getting ice, I guess."

"Well, good. Next time you're both here, we try the wedding again. Get it right this time."

"Excuse me?" said Elsa, turning her gaze to Anna. "Wedding?"

Anna shrugged, "Things were kind of crazy. Kristoff brought me here so Grand Pabbie could unfreeze my heart, and everyone else thought I was his girlfriend and wanted us to get married, but I couldn't of course, because I was engaged to Hans, and then my hair turned all white and we had to go."

Elsa nodded, though she only caught about half of what Anna had just rattled off. "How about we hold off on all engagements _and_ weddings for a while, okay, Anna?"

"Hey! It wasn't my idea, they just thought a little love would fix things."

"Oh." Elsa said, then paused, thoughtfully. "I guess it did, in the end, didn't it."

Anna couldn't help herself, and rushed up and gave Elsa a hug. "Yes it did," she whispered to her sister.

"Hello Elsa. Hello Anna," came a deep voice from beside them.

Anna separated from Elsa and turned to the elder troll with her hands on her hips. "Grand Pabbie, why didn't you tell me that you had seen me before?"

The troll seemed unaffected by the princess' allegation. "It hardly mattered at the time, your heart was freezing and I could not help you. You needed an act of true love." Looking at Elsa, he smiled, "And I see you found one."

"So, what bring you to us tonight?" asked Pabbie.

"Well," Anna started, "I just found out that when we were little, I used to know about Elsa and her powers. But after Elsa accidentally—" she turned to Elsa and repeated emphatically, "_accidentally!_" then returned to the troll, "hurt me with her powers, Papa and Mama brought us to see you. You were able to help me, but took away my memories of Elsa's powers. Why?"

Pabbie sighed, "I am sorry, but it was necessary. You were struck in the head, and so in removing all traces of the magic, your memories of the magic had to go as well."

"Oh, well, " Anna paused, considering her words, "since I know all about it now, Elsa's powers and all, I was wondering if I could get my memories back. Can you do that?"

Pabbie lowered his eyebrows in contemplation. "I can, but it would not be easy. It has been many years, and those memories are well buried now. In retrieving them, many others will be stirred along the way. And you may not like everything you remember. Are you sure?"

Anna grasped one of Elsa's hands and glanced into her eyes. Then turning back to Pabbie, she declared, "Yes. I am sure."

Pabbie nodded. "Very well," he said, "let us get you ready." Pabbie then turned to the troll that Elsa first talked to, "Bulda, please prepare a draught for Anna, two parts sage, one part heliotrope, and get her settled in Kristoff's hut, thank you."

Bulda took Anna's hand and pulled her along, "Come along! I'll get you your potion and show you little Kristoff's toys!"

* * *

Elsa watched Anna walk off with Bulda. "The potion will bring back Anna's memories?" she asked Pabbie.

"Oh no. The potion just makes her mind a little more malleable, to help the memories come loose. It will be a little while yet, but once it has taken effect, then we will be ready to do our work."

"We?" asked Elsa, surprised.

"It is her memories of you that she wishes to remember, so I will need your memories to guide me," explained Pabbie.

After a minute of silence, Elsa spoke up again, "Pabbie, you know all about magic, right?"

Pabbie smiled, "Well, I know a good bit about it, but it would be hard for anyone to know it all."

Elsa clutched her hands, nervously, and asked, "Where do my powers come from?"

Pabbie nodded knowingly, as if he had expected the question eventually. Taking one of Elsa's hands in his, he waved the other across the sky in front of them. In it, Elsa could now see a veritable ocean of tiny motes of lights across the land and swirling throughout the air above and around them.

Elsa gasped, "What is it?"

"It is magic. Most people just see the physical world, but those who can touch the magical world can see that it full of energy, magical energy that surrounds us and inhabits all things. Most of the time, it will just live in the ground, in a tree, or drift freely through the air. But if touched by someone who has studied it— " Pabbie raised his hand again and moved his fingers in a small, swirling circle, "one can influence it—" Hundreds of tiny specks of lights circled and spun around Pabbie's hand, "and do things like this," the sparks collecting into a small globe of light that glowed warmly in the cool night.

"To perform such feats, one would need to study and learn a great deal. Ancient words and gestures that can draw the power and allow it to be wielded, or special substances that, when combined, will have a magical effect. This knowledge may be found in old books, or be taught by a master to their apprentice."

Elsa asked, "And that's how you learned your magic?"

Pabbie nodded, "For me, it is a little different, but yes, I was taught the ways of magic by an elder troll, and I will pass my knowledge on to another before I am worn away."

"But I was born with my magic—" Elsa started.

"Yes, I know. Just listen…"

Pabbie continued, "Now, one in a million of these tiny bits of magic might be something more. Most will simply be slightly stronger and draw other bits of magic to it. There—" Pabbie pointed to an area out towards the outer edge of valley. There, Elsa could, in fact, see a clustering of the magical dots, circling and dancing around an ever so slightly brighter dot of magic. "There's nothing particularly special about it, but it is useful when one want to do something requiring a bit more energy." And, releasing his small glowing sphere, the troll then waved his free hand towards the gathering of specks. The many bits of energy coalesced into a point, which glowed brightly for a moment, before exploding into a shimmering array of colors. The trolls nearby all gave appreciative ooh's and ahh's.

"Now, again, one in a million of _those_ grains of magic will be yet stronger. Those will have the barest hint of intelligence, like maybe that of an insect. They are powerful enough to inhabit a physical form. The slightest of these might join with a mote of dust, and become what you call a will-o'-the-wisp. A greater one may inhabit a mountain or a stream. The magic of such places might become known as a haunted cave, or perhaps a pool whose waters can heal."

Pabbie paused and looked back to Elsa, who nodded, urging him to continue. Turning fully to face Elsa directly, he took her remaining free hand in his, and preceded.

"One in a million of those spirits, perhaps even fewer, will be stronger still. They are a bit more conscious, more aware. And they may be born into living form. The smallest, weakest of these may be born as a mouse or a bird, but they would not be your normal mice and birds. They would be much smarter than their kin, able to understand the world around them and even accomplish small tasks. Stronger and healthier too, for they carry a magical spirit within them. They would even be able to carry and use small items, such as their bodies might allow. And, as a more powerful spirit draws other to them, a number of them are often born together, and stay together during their time in the material word."

"A tiny fraction of these will be powerful enough to be born into a greater animal, and they would be smarter still. Most of these may be born as a dog or cat or similar animal. And some may take a greater form still. Of these, I know you have met a few."

Elsa blinked in realization, comprehending what Pabbie has revealed to her. "My horse, Sitron?" Pabbie nodded, then raised one eyebrow expectantly. "And Sven, Kristoff's reindeer!"

Pabbie smiled and nodded again. "Yes, our dear Sven, who has befriended and cared for Kristoff his whole life. He is quite insightful and full of wisdom, if you learn how to hear him."

After a moment, Pabbie squeezed Elsa's hands a bit and looked her in the eyes, then continued his lecture. "Among these, the most powerful of spirits, a tiny fraction, an infinitesimally small sliver…" he paused, catching his breath, "will be born human."

Hearing these word and understanding their meaning, Elsa tried to free her hands and pull away. But Pabbie was insistent and kept his grip on her. "This is very rare, and hasn't happened for thousands of years." Elsa could hear the tacit addition, _until you_. "The last time any came into the world, your people gave them special names. Odin. Freya. Thor."

This time Elsa was able to pull her hands free. Now, clutching them nervously together, she asked softly, "Are you saying I'm a goddess?"

Pabbie shrugged, "If that's what you want to call it, so be it."

Elsa stared down at her open hands, stunned at what she is hearing.

"Just as the greater of the specks draw the lesser, so can a great spirit affect others. You have done so yourself, when you created your snowman, Olaf. You called upon your domain, ice and snow, to create a vessel and summoned a spirit to inhabit it. You did it again in your ice palace when you created your guardian." And more quietly, he added, "And just as you have summoned your snow golems, you may release them as well, when you so choose."

Elsa gazed around the valley, quietly absorbing the new revelations. She could sense the magic around her now, and knew that if she concentrated, she could see the lights, the swirling bits of magic, just as the troll elder had revealed to her.

"Am I human?" Elsa asked of Pabbie, not sure what answer she wanted to hear.

"You are a child of your parents as much as your sister; it is your spirit that makes you great. I felt the magic, a great disturbance, when you were born, but did not know the nature of it at the time. I soon learned of you, however, and had some idea when you and your parents came to me after the accident. I tried to explain, give some advice, but they chose not to hear what I said, and you and Anna have suffered for it. For that, I am greatly sorry."

They sat quietly for a time, Pabbie allowing Elsa to absorb her new knowledge. After a few minutes, Elsa raised one hand, and created an elaborate snowflake, about the breadth of her outstretched fingers, which floated and rotated above her palm. She could feel her powers with a clarity and focus as never before, even more than when she drew on them on the North Mountain while raising her ice palace. On the mountain peak, she drew upon a great torrent of her power, channeling it to her will, but hardly knowing the nature of what she was doing. Now she could see the very atomic details of her power, and concentrate her will upon the tiniest point.

Eventually, Bulda appeared in the distance and waved to Pabbie.

"Come," said the elder troll, "It is time. Let us attend to your sister."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So... that happened.


	11. Chapter 11 - Recollection

**Chapter 11 – Recollection**

_Dark._

Cold.

So cold.

Cold and dark. I can't move. I can't feel my body.

So cold…

Elsa?

I feel… something? In my chest, it's warm.

It burns, my heart, it burns! But I'm still so cold.

It's spreading, the heat. I can feel something.

Oh, it's getting warmer. My chest, my shoulders, I can feel them.

I can see! It's blurry, but I can see. I feel something, pulling on me, but I still can't move.

My fingers, I can see my fingers, and feel them! Warm, so warm, now.

"Oh!" Breathe! I can breathe! I can move! I'm so warm.

"_Anna!"_ It's Elsa. Elsa is holding onto me.

Oof! She's never hugged me like this before. I can feel the coolness of her arms around me, but I am still so warm. "Oh Elsa."

"_You sacrificed yourself for me?"_ Elsa, of course, how could I have done anything else!

"I love you."

* * *

_Frozen fjord._

I'm so cold. I can barely walk. But I have to find him!

"Kristoff!"

The storm, it's so strong.

Got... to... keep... going.

My hands, they're turning to ice, I can barely feel them.

Keep going.

"Kristoff?"

The storm, it stopped.

"Kristoff?"

Got to get to him.

What's that sound? "Elsa?"

Hans and Elsa!

I have to save Elsa!

"No!"

* * *

_Ballroom._

"_The party is over, close the gates."_

"Elsa, no, no, wait!" Got to stop her. Got her hand! Oops, just her glove.

"_Give me my glove!"_

"Elsa, please, please, I can't live like this anymore." Please help me, living like this is killing me.

"_Then leave."_ What?! Leave? Elsa? What do you mean?

"What did I ever do to you?!" Why is she doing this to me? Why can't she let me be happy?!

"_Enough, Anna."_

"No, why, why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?" Answer me! Tell me why you won't be my sister!

"_I said enough!"_

Aaah! What? Ice? Did Elsa do that? Did I make her do that? Is that why she's been hiding all this time? Oh no, what have I done?

"Elsa…"

* * *

_Castle hallway._

"For the first time in forever…"

It's a big day. A big, big day. Elsa is becoming Queen, and we're opening up the gate!

Who knew we had so many salad plates?

I get to go to a party, meet all sorts of people, actual real live people, maybe meet someone special.

And I'll be with Elsa. I'll actually get to see her, stand next to her, we'll might even talk, be like sisters again, for a little while at least.

I haven't seen her in _so_ long. Sure, Gerda and Kai tell me about her, but it's not same actually getting to SEE her again. That'll be great!

And strange. What do we do? What do we talk about? Can I just talk to her, or do I have to wait for her to talk to me first?

But maybe she doesn't want to talk to me, or be with me, or be like sisters again. She never talked back to me when I talk to her at her door, never responded to and of my notes, or when I sent her a present or anything. Maybe she just wants to pretend I'm not here, like she's been doing all these years. She probably thinks I'm just the spare, not really needed, nothing special. She has much more important things, _Queen things_, to keep busy now, so she certainly won't have time for me, her stupid little sister who just want to talk to her, maybe have lunch with her, or something. _Anything._

Does she know anything about me now? Does she ask Gerda and Kai about _me?_ Does she even care?

No! That can't be it. We're sisters! And the gate will open and we'll talk and everything.

Who am I kidding, she'll probably just shut the gate and shut me out again, just like she's been doing all these years.

* * *

_Castle hallway._

There they go, the people who meet with Elsa once a month. They get to see her, but I don't.

They talk to her, she probably even talks to them.

No need to talk to me, I'm just the spare.

She's still in there.

I could just go in, right now. Open the door, walk in and say _Hi, it's me Anna, your sister!_

I could. I should do it.

I'm going to do it! Walk right in and talk to her. Right now.

Right now. I'm ready. I'm going to talk to my sister!

Right now.

Right now.

Now.

now.

* * *

_Elsa's door._

She should have this. It would look good on her, I think. It was always very pretty when Mama wore it, and Gerda says Elsa looks a lot like Mama now, but with light hair.

It was pretty tough, going through Papa and Mama's stuff. I wish Elsa could help, but she won't come out, so I guess I have to do it.

I remember when Mama would wear it. A special party or dinner. It was beautiful on her.

I wonder if we'll ever have a special party or dinner now. Elsa will become Queen sometime, and then she's going to have to do that kind of stuff. Right? I might get to see her. And she can wear it, like Mama did. And she'll be real pretty like Mama was.

I miss her. Elsa probably misses her too.

She should have this, it will help her remember Mama.

knock knock-knock knock knock

"Hi Elsa. It's me. I'm leaving something for you. It used to be Mama's. I think you'll like it."

"Okay, I'm going now. Bye."

* * *

_Elsa's door._

bam bam bam

"ELSA!"

"Elsa, talk to me! You have to talk to me!"

"They're gone! They're gone and there's no one else."

bam bam bam

"Open this door and let me in! I want to talk to you. You have to talk to me! Elsa!"

"Why won't you talk to me?!"

"Please, just open the door. Just open it and talk to me."

"Fine! Don't talk to me. And I won't talk to you anymore! See how that feels."

…

"Elsa? Will you talk to me, please? I'm so lonely."

* * *

_Elsa's door._

"Elsa, please, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been."

"They say _'have courage,' _and I'm trying to. I'm right here for you, just let me in."

"We only have each other. It's just you and me. What are we going to do?"

…

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

* * *

_Elsa's door._

knock knock-knock knock knock

"Hi Elsa. It's me, Anna."

"I haven't talked to you in a while, so I think I'd stop by and tell you how things are going."

"Pretty good, I guess. I'm doing okay in my lessons. Math, not so good, but I'm pretty good with the history and literature. I left some books I think you might like on the desk in the library. If you're not interested, I'll put them away tomorrow."

"Mama still wants me to continue with my dancing lessons, but I don't know why. I'm not very good, always tripping over my feet or someone else's. And I don't know when I'm ever going to actually dance with anybody. It's not like we have balls or parties or anything anymore. But it gives me something to do and some people to talk to, so I guess that's something."

"Oh, a couple months ago, Papa got me a new horse! I named her Starlilly, and she's really nice. Master Bjørnholt has been teaching me how to put on her saddle and how to take care of her. It's nice to ride around outside the city and in the hills. It's especially fun when I can go real fast, the air rushing by, blowing my hair around. I really wish you'd come out and join me someday."

"There are a couple new people working in the castle, since old Mister and Mrs. Osltad retired. One of them is a girl, her name is Lise, and she cleans my room sometimes, so I get to talk to her. I think she's about your age, maybe a little older. She tells me about her family, they live in the city, and a boy she likes. She goes to see him when she's not working. I guess they might get married one day. That's kind of funny. She's a maid, but she gets to pick who she wants to marry. We're princesses, but from what I've read in the history books, pretty much Papa and Mama will pick someone, probably a prince from some other kingdom, for each of us. We don't get to pick."

"I've got something else for you. It's sort of a statue, but it's wood. I cut my fingers a bit making it, one time a good stab in my palm, and _that_ hurt, let me tell you. I painted it white, like the snow. I hope you like it. I'll just leave it here outside your door."

"Okay, I guess that's it for now. I hope you're doing good, too. Talk to you later. Bye."

* * *

_Library._

"What story are we going read tonight, Mama?"

"_Oh, you go ahead and pick one, dear."_

"How about this one? The Little Mermaid. I don't think we've read this one before."

"_No, I don't think we have. It's one of the new books that your Papa had sent in."_

"A new story, that's great! Will Papa be coming?"

"_I'm sorry, dear, but Papa is too busy with his duties. Maybe another night."_

"Hmmph. What about Elsa? It's a new story, do you think Elsa would want to come listen to it, too?"

"_Anna, dear, you know your sister is busy as well. Just come sit with me, and we'll read the story, just you and me."_

"Oh. All right."

…

_Elsa's door._

knock knock-knock knock knock

"Psst! Elsa! We got some new stories, do you want me to read one to you? If you don't just tell me to go away."

…

"Great. I think you'll like this one… 'Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower…' "

* * *

_Elsa's door._

"Hey, Princess Stinker. Not coming out?"

"Well, I guess I don't need you. I got plenty of friends out here of my own."

"Just had a birthday party, too bad _you_ couldn't be there, because _you_ won't come out of your room. Presents and a chocolate cake! It was great. We played games and sang songs, lots of fun. Didn't need a boring old Princess Stinker to be there."

…

"I really wish you had come to my party."

* * *

_Elsa's door._

"Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride our bike around the halls?"

* * *

_Elsa's door._

"Hey Elsa, come on out. I have some dolls and we can play. Or we can go out into the garden, climb the trees and walk on the wall, it's really nice out."

"Elsa? Why won't you play with me anymore? I really miss you."

"Elsa? I guess it's okay that you want your own room, I know I bother you sometimes. But we can still play together, right?"

"Elsa?"

* * *

_Elsa's door._

"Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman…"

"_Go away, Anna."_

"Okay, bye…"

* * *

_Anna's room._

What's going on? Where is Elsa's bed?

"Elsa? Elsa! The men are taking your things away!"

Where are they going with Elsa's wardrobe and dresser? She's leaving? Why is Elsa leaving?!

Oh, they're taking Elsa's stuff to another room. Maybe they're just going to clean it and paint it to make it look even nicer. Elsa doesn't want to leave our room. We have so much fun together. We're best buddies. Sisters!

"Elsa?"

Why is Elsa in the other room? Elsa doesn't want to be with me anymore.

* * *

_The throneroom._

"Do the magic! Do the magic!"

Snow!

"This is amazing!"

"_Hi I'm Olaf, and I love warm hugs."_

"I love you Olaf."

…

"Ticklebumps!"

…

"_Hang on."_

"Catch me!"

"Again!"

"_Wait. Slow down!"_

Whee!

"_Anna!"_

uh!

_dark_

* * *

_Elsa and Anna's bedroom._

"Elsa. Pssst!"

"Elsa, wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"_Anna, go back to sleep."_

"I just can't. The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so I have to play."

"_Go play by yourself." _Oomph!

Hmm… how do I get Elsa to play… I know!

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" Yay!

* * *

_Library._

"But Elsa, I don't wanna do lessons, I wanna play."

"_Anna, remember what Papa said, we do our lessons now, we can play later."_

"Hmph. Okay, but it better be more interesting than last time."

"_Good morning Princess Elsa, Princess Anna. Are we ready for our lessons this morning?"_

Master Thomassen talks funny. And he _always_ brings a cup of tea to lessons.

"_Yes, Master Thomassen."_ _"_Yes, Master Thomassen."

"_Very good. Now please get your history books. I say, where did I put mine. Must be still be in my bag."_

Hmm, he's not looking…

"psst. Elsa. Do the magic."

"_What?"_

"Do the magic." To his tea cup, over there!

*zot*

He he he! Oops, don't smile!

"_Ah yes, here it is. Now, open up to chapter 4 and we'll continue with—I say! What has happened to my tea? It's frozen?! One of the kitchen staff is playing a joke on me, it seems."_

He he he!

* * *

_Elsa and Anna's playroom._

"One Two Three together, clap together, snap together,"

"You and me together, knees together, _freeze_ together,"

"Up or down together, princess crown together,"

"Always be together, you and me!"

* * *

_Castle gardens._

"Hey Elsa, let's have a snowball fight!"

"_Anna, it's the middle of summer."_

"I know! It's so hot, so it's a great time for snowballs! Do the magic!"

*zot*

Yaaay!

* * *

_Private family dining room._

"_Now girls, eat up you lunch, then you can go play outside for an hour."_

"_Thank you, nanny." _"Thank you, nanny."

"Thif if a mood fandwiff!"

"_Anna, a princess does not talk with her mouth full."_

"Yes, nanny."

"psst. Elsa. Do the magic."

"_What?"_

"Do the magic." Nanny's big behind!

*zot*

"_Oh! What was that?!"_

* * *

_Castle gardens._

"Elsa! Race you to the top of the tree!"

"_Anna, we shouldn't climb trees, it's not princess-like."_

"Oh, ppptttt! Come on!"

"_Okay, here I come! I'm going to beat you!"_

Can't let Elsa beat me to the top! Next branch, pull up! That one… hey!

"Elsa, no fair making the branch slippy with ice! That's cheating!"

"_Okay. There, I made it go away. Come on up, it's great up here, you can see the fjord."_

Next branch, put me knee up, and push. I made it!

"This is amazing. Whoops!" Aaah! The branch is breaking, I'm going to fall!

"_You're okay Anna, I got you."_

* * *

_Anna's nursery._

Uh, I'm so hot.

"_Mama, is she going to be okay?"_

"_She'll be fine, Elsa. She just has a bit of a fever, and it will take a little time for her to cool down. Watch her for a minute, please, dear, I'll be right back."_

So hot. "Elsa, I don't feel too good."

*zot*

Snow! Oh, it feels so nice when it touches my skin.

"Thanks Elsa. A snow flurry, just for me."

* * *

_Elsa and Anna's playroom._

"_Come on, Anna! You can do it! Just get up on both feet, that's it, and step!"_

Umph, walking is hard. Left foot. Right foot. Oh no, can't stay up!

Ooof! Snow! Nice soft snow.

"El-sa."

"_I love you too, Anna."_

* * *

_Anna's nursery._

"Waaah! Waaah!"

Hungry! Tired! Upset!

"Waaah! Waaah!"

A face. Pretty face.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

Oooh sparkly white pretty shape. Can I touch it? It's cold! Cold feels nice.

"aaah…"

Happy. I love face.

* * *

_Dark._

But warm.

_Uh, so dizzy._

Anna blinked her eyes, waking up as if from a deep sleep. _Where am I?_

Elsa gently kept Anna from getting up. "It's okay Anna, you're all right. Just rest for a bit."

"Elsa?" Anna croaked, her mouth a bit dry.

"I'm here, Anna," said Elsa, sniffling.

"Hey Elsa?" Anna looked up from the mat she was resting on, meeting Elsa's eyes and blinking away the tears.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

* * *

– **end part 1 –**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

when I started this fanfic, I had thought it would just be a collection of unconnected chapters, just some stand-alone drabbles that would each just touch on some aspect of the movie that I thought needed more exploration. You can see that in the first few chapters, certainly. But like much writing, it took on a life of its own, and turned into an actual narrative. Unfortunately, I hadn't _planned_ on it being an actual story with, you know, a beginning, middle, and end. I'm just as interested in seeing where this goes as you are. :)

Thank you so much to my readers and reviewers, especially Morgaine2005 for her regular reviews and tumblr repostings.


	12. Chapter 12 - Descent

**Chapter 12 – Descent**

At dawn, Elsa created a small, light snowfall to signal the guards that all was well. Anna's memory restoration had lasted well into the night, and she would need a good deal of real rest afterwards, but best to get her back to the castle so she could sleep in her own bed, as well as allay the concerns of Captain Krog.

Before they left the valley, Elsa had some final words with Pabbie. "I can't see the magic now, but it was so clear last night. Will I be able to see it again?"

"Of course. It would have come to you eventually, once you had embraced your powers. Our lesson last night just nudged you along. The magic is your very essence; you would not have been able to hold it in much longer."

"Are there any others… like me?"

Pabbie shrugged, "I do not know. There are none in Arendelle or nearby lands, I would have felt them as I did you. But you should remember, powerful magic draws other magic to it."

"Would it be okay if I came back to see you, if I need help or guidance?"

"Of course. It has always been our duty to serve those such as yourself."

"To serve me? I don't understand."

Pabbie laughed. "We trolls are not exactly native fauna. The original rock trolls were created by your old gods, thousands of years ago. Just as you created your snowman, Olaf, they created us out of the mountain itself, to serve them. The trolls today, we are their descendants."

"Oh, I don't want—" Elsa started before being interrupted by the noise.

"…and tell my Kristoff that he should come back and see me, no more of this moping around and hiding on the tops of mountains, do you here? Now you go home and get a good day's sleep and have some good dreams. If you have any troubles, or any _nightmares_ at all, you come right back and we'll make it right, don't you worry…"

"Bulda," Pabbie called out gently, and the other troll quieted down, but continued smiling at Anna, who nodded and yawned at the same time.

Elsa turned to Pabbie, "If there is anything I can ever do for you, please, just ask."

Pabbie smiled, "Thank you. For now, just take care of your sister. I'm sure we'll see each other again, soon."

* * *

Captain Krog was, indeed, quite pleased to see his queen and crown princess only an hour past dawn, though he was quite concerned for the princesses' health, given that she could barely keep herself in her saddle. Beyond that element, their decent to the castle was, like their ascent, uneventful. It was about midday when they arrived in the city, and so there were quite a number of people about in the streets. Many waved and called out greetings, and the activity roused Anna for the remainder of the trip. And, it being a warm summer day, many children, not to mention a few adults, called out to their queen to make it snow. Elsa felt rather moved by the people's acceptance of her _and_ her powers, and so she obligingly created a trail of snow showers that would last perhaps ten minutes. And while creating her snowfall, she thought, for a moment, she could see the magic moving within it, a brief, tantalizing glimpse.

After crossing the courtyard and arriving at the castle proper, Anna was helped down from her horse and was, after again reassuring everyone that she was merely tired, walked, almost carried, to her rooms where she would likely sleep the rest of the day and through the night. Elsa herself was glad that she had cleared her schedule because, while not as tired as Anna, she had been up all night and could definitely use a few hours' sleep. So, after leaving the horses with the grooms, Elsa left the stables and headed back into the castle, her own rooms her intended destination.

"Oh, hello Kristoff."

"Huh? Oh, hello Your Majesty—"

Elsa shook her head, "No, no, that only for when it's something formal. Just call me Elsa." She yawned. "So what are you doing in the castle?" Yawning again, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, you're welcome to be here, of course."

"Well, I was harvesting ice all day yesterday, and during the summer, the night is the best time to come down from the mountain, since it's cooler, and the ice won't melt as much. So I got here to the castle around dawn. After unloading the ice, I was pretty tired, so Master Kai said I could use one of unused servants' rooms. I just got up and was heading back to the stables to take care of Sven."

Elsa yawned again, making her unable to talk, so Kristoff continued, "I heard that you and Anna had headed out for mountains yourself late last night. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you, because it involves you a bit," Elsa managed to say before being overtaken by another yawn. Finally, she was able to say, "but we were up all night as well and I can barely keep my eyes open. Tell you what, stay close to the castle and come to dinner after I catch a nap. Okay?"

"Sure, that would be great. Thanks."

As Elsa walked away, Kristoff looked down at his rumpled, and less than fresh clothing. "Dinner with the royal family? I better do something about my clothes…"

* * *

Luckily, Kristoff's warmer weather outfit which he had packed in his sled was a good bit fresher. He had asked one of the maids where he could go to wash his harvesting clothes, but she just laughed and said that they would take care of it. So, after spending some time with Sven, brushing him down and talking over the events of the day, he headed out to the castle courtyard.

It was still doubling as a new market square, and would continue to be one for another couple months, according to the guard he chatted with. The old market square in town hadn't gotten much maintenance during the lost years, and while the new Mayor, Lord Svarnhalt, had started some renovation work, without the backing, or funding, from the crown, it hadn't gotten far. Now with the gates open, the Mayor had been able to convince the new Queen to invest in overdue improvements. They would take some time, but should be done in time for the upcoming Fall Festival. In the meantime, the castle courtyard would serve as a market as well, allowing the displaced vendors a place to continue their business, until the main square was complete.

Walking around, Kristoff happened upon a florist, and decided bring some flowers to dinner. A few white Liljekonvall for Elsa, and some violet Rødsildre for Anna. Returning to the castle, he hoped that they wouldn't be having anything too fancy for dinner; he wasn't sure he'd know how to eat it.

As he entered the main hall, a man, one of the castle staff (a _footman, _Kristoff thought, if he remembered the titles right) approached him. "Master Bjorgman, dinner will be served in the royal family's private dining hall. If you would follow me, please?"

"Uh, sure. Thanks." Kristoff managed to reply, not really sure if there was something else he was supposed to do.

The footman led Kristoff down the halls of the castle, up a staircase, into the private residence section of the castle, and finally to a dining room. Not large, like he had seen down on the main floor, where they might have formal dinners and ceremonies, but comfortable and a decent size for a large family. Of course, at the moment, Arendelle did not have a large royal family, just the Queen and Princess. But even considering that, the room was nearly unoccupied, since the only one there was Elsa.

"Ah, Kristoff, come on in, have a seat."

When he had last seen Elsa, back in the hallway outside the stables, she was still in her riding habit, rather dusty from recent travel, and her hair tied and pinned up, out of the way. Now, she was in a regular dress, nothing formal, but one that looked a lot nicer on her, and her hair was down in her now signature braid. And he was rather struck by her smile.

Elsa was sitting at the head of the table, and the footman led Kristoff to a setting laid out next to her, just around the corner along one of the sides.

"Here, these are for you," Kristoff said, offering the white flowers to Elsa.

"Thank you, they're lovely."

Holding up the other flowers, Kristoff inquired, "Where's Anna?"

"Oh, she won't be joining us. She's still sleeping off the night's adventures."

The footman, having foreseen the need, returned from the next room with two small vases for the flower, and after briefly arranging the flowers within them, set the two on the table.

Kristoff sat down while a woman filled his glass with a dark red wine, just like the one Elsa had already started on. He took a drink, grimaced at the taste, and put it back down.

"Don't like the wine?"

Kristoff shrugged. "It's fine. It's just not something I drink very often. Can't afford it, really."

"Would you like something else? Beer or ale?" Elsa glanced over to the footman, who nodded and headed out of the room.

Elsa sipped her wine and the silence got a little awkward. Kristoff was about to speak up, but was rescued by the footman's return with a bottle, chilled, the cork held in place with wire. The footman untied the wire, released the cork and poured the tan beverage into a stein he had also brought, then retreated. Kristoff picked up his mug and took a drink.

"Hey, this is pretty good. A lot better than anything they serve in town. At least anywhere I go. Why do you have beer in the castle, anyway?"

"Papa used to drink it. Once he was gone, I didn't think to stop getting it, but the staff drinks it too, so it's not going to waste. That one's imported from Corona."

Kristoff nodded and busied himself with continuing his beer. Shortly, a waitress brought in their appetizer, some kind of minced fish on a bed of lettuce and onions. Looked kind of funny, Kristoff thought, but it tasted good.

"So, what was so important in the mountains?" Kristoff finally asked.

"Trolls."

It took Kristoff few moments to retrieve his dropped fork.

"Oh, um, so why did you—wait, is Anna all right?" Kristoff stood up, ready to go… somewhere.

Elsa leaned over and pulled Kristoff back into his seat by his sleeve. "She's fine, she's just sleeping."

"Oh, good – so why were you there?"

Elsa put down her fork and but couldn't quite look at Kristoff when she spoke, "When we were little, I hurt Anna with my powers, so my parents took us to the trolls for help. Pabbie was able to help Anna, but had to take away her memories of my powers. But now she knows, and wanted her memories back."

Kristoff didn't really know what to say, so just nodded and nibbled some more on his food.

After a bit, Elsa asked, "You were there, right? Thirteen years ago? Anna figured that you were from some things you said."

"Um, yeah, I guess so. I was just a kid, like you, and I didn't know what was going on. We just followed the ice…"

"We? The ice?"

"Me and Sven. It was just us in those days. Well, we were following a harvest team and they'd let us get a block or two. So, we were heading back to town—just us, the team was heading to the storage pits with the ice—and some people on horses galloped by, and there was a trail of ice on the ground behind them…"

"Ice on the ground? Oh…"

"Yeah, well, we decided to follow and that lead us to the trolls. We were watching, but then Ma found us. Anyway, I didn't know who you were then, but they told us about it later."

"So you knew? About us, all this time?"

Kristoff shrugged, "I guess so, yeah."

Elsa pondered the silence for a bit. Finally, she said, "So, that night after the coronation ball, your meeting Anna, that was no accident, right?"

"What? No, running into Anna was a total coincidence. I had no idea that she was there or even who she was at first."

"Then what—"

"I was following _you_."


	13. Chapter 13 - One Night in Arendelle

**Chapter 13 – One Night in Arendelle**

"What am I supposed to do with them?"

"I don't know. Normally, there would be a policy established beforehand, but I don't think anyone was expecting this."

"So, what, do we contact someone in the castle? Who would we ask? The Queen? I mean, I guess she _would_ be the person to ask, because…"

"I suppose that would be my job, since I'm officer of the day."

Portmaster Edlen Enberg and Captain Jarl Stigen of the Arendelle Navy sat in Enberg's office just off of Pier Ten, discussing some unusual passengers who had disembarked from a ship just earlier this evening.

"Write down the details, so I have it straight," Stigen said to Enberg, who, nodding, grabbed a sheet of paper from a stack on the left side of his desk, and dipped his quill in the pot of ink on the right.

"Right, one woman, Alde Östberg, from Malmo, and her two daughters, Leah and Miryam, arrived this day on the _Langeland_, and are requesting refugee status due to…" Enberg raised his head from the paper and looked at Stigen, "due to? What do I say?"

Stigen stroked his moustache, thinking. "Persecution regarding her profession?"

"Is that grounds for receiving refugee status in Arendelle?"

"Normally, no. But in this case, it might now be, with the Queen and all."

Enberg sighed. "I guess I will just write it as it is, and let the crown and council decide." Refreshing the ink on his quill, he resumed his writing, "…due to persecution regarding her profession involving magic."

* * *

"What?"

This time, it was Elsa's fork falling to the table, encased in a block of ice. Startled by the noise, Elsa glanced down and, realizing what she had done, pushed herself back in her chair and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, the fork was resting on the table, once again ice free.

She opened her eyes and, after glancing at her fork, looked straight at Kristoff. "Excuse me?"

"I was following you_,_" Kristoff repeated.

"I was in the city on Coronation Day," Kristoff continued. "I don't normally like the crowds, and everyone was out in the streets because of the big event, so it wasn't exactly my favorite place. I had planned to just stay away, go visit my family, the trolls, and wait until all the excitement was over."

Elsa nodded, understanding. Maybe even sympathizing.

"But when I got to the valley, Grand Pabbie wanted to talk to me. He said he was worried about you. You were going to be crowned Queen and there was going to be a big ball with lots of people, and he said you weren't used to being around so many. He was concerned that, because you had been holding your power back for so long, with all the stress of the day, you might lose control."

Elsa gripped her hands together self-consciously. Losing control of her powers was, perhaps, a bit of an understatement.

"Now, I didn't really know why Grand Pabbie was telling this to _me_. I mean, I knew about your ice powers, but I always felt that it was the concern of the King and Queen, not any of my business. But Grand Pabbie asked me to go to town, just in case something happened."

"I don't know what he expected me to be able to do, though. It's not like I'd be in the ballroom with you or anything, so if you accidentally created a snowball, I could tell you to breathe, or think of the ocean, or whatever. But okay, if he's asking, I'll do it."

"So, we were in town for the day, me and Sven. In the evening, I went to the courtyard with the rest of the regular people, where they were waiting to see you. It was getting late, so I thought that, by now, you must have gotten through the day without any trouble. Then I heard people calling out '_It's the Queen!_' I looked, and I saw you running through the crowd. I couldn't see you very well, at first, because of all the people, but then you froze one of the fountains, and everybody started backing up. And then that weird guy, the Duke, appeared in the doorway yelling at you, and you shot ice back at him."

"Well, I guess that was what Grand Pabbie was worried about, but there wasn't anything I could do. You ran past and out the other side of the courtyard. The crowd was getting a bit crazy, people moving around trying to see or trying to get out. After a few minutes, though, I could see you running across the fjord, the whole thing freezing up behind you."

"I got out of there, got Sven and my sled, and started heading up the mountain. I thought that maybe if I could catch up to you, I could bring you to Grand Pabbie and he could help. I didn't cross the fjord, though, since it still _was_ summer and it had only just iced up, so I couldn't be sure it was strong enough to hold us. So we took the long way around, and I hoped I would be able to follow you by chasing the snowstorm."

"So there we were, sledding through a blizzard up the mountain, couldn't see a thing, but I guessed that as long as we were in the snowstorm, we were following you. And even with the weather, Sven and I should be able to go faster than you on foot, right? Well, apparently not. The storm moved on, which I guessed meant _you_ moved on ahead of us and up the North Mountain. At that point, it was late, we were tired and hungry, so we decided to stop once we found a place."

"We only had to go a little bit further and we arrived at Oaken's. And that's where I ran in to Anna, though I didn't know who she was at the time. Just some rich girl in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guessed. She started asking about the North Mountain and magic, which was weird, but I was busy arguing with that thief, Oaken, and didn't really figure things out right away."

"Later, when she came to us in the hay shed, saying she wanted me to take her to the North Mountain, I realized who she was. Seemed a funny co-incidence at first, but if she was following you as well, it made sense that we would be on the same path, so not really. But I'd had enough travelling for the day and wanted to just sleep, but you know Anna, she has a way of convincing you do stuff you weren't planning."

"So we got going again in the sled, and I decided to play it cool, since Anna had no idea who _I_ was, and asked about what happened, which is when I learned about all that weirdness with her and Hans. Well, we were attacked by wolves and lost my sled in a ravine, so we then had to walk the rest of the way. Ran into Olaf and finally got to your ice palace."

Kristoff shrugged and laid his hands on the table, "I think you know everything that happened after that."

Elsa had a hand over her mouth holding back a sob, her eyes tearing up.

"You were trying to help me?" Elsa managed to get out. "You didn't even know me and you were trying to help?"

"Uh, sure," Kristoff replied, "I mean, Grand Pabbie asked me too, but, yeah."

Elsa started crying some more; recalling the terrible events of that day was still difficult.

Noticing, Kristoff moved over, next to Elsa. "Are you all right?" Kristoff asked, arms up to help hold her up.

But Elsa took to his open arms, whether Kristoff intended them for a hug or not, her head weighing on one of his shoulders. Not sure what else he should do, he drew his arms in and held her as she wept.

After about a minute, Elsa weakly sat up and picked up a napkin to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. I don't know why that hit me so hard." She sniffed a bit and smiled slightly, "Must be an after-effect of the memories. It left both Anna and me pretty raw, I guess."

Not knowing how to respond or even if he should, Kristoff just moved back to his own chair.

Glancing around, Elsa noticed that the serving staff had judiciously left the room, giving her and Kristoff their privacy. She smiled a bit to herself, appreciating the staff's professionalism. She picked up and rang a small bell to summon them back.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned again to Kristoff and smiled fully, "So, dinner? I hope you're hungry, Chef Felix makes a great stekt fisk."

* * *

She dreamed of the ocean, waves rolling against the shore. A creek, its water babbling noisily across stones. A river rushing along its course, roaring as it broke through its rapids. A mighty waterfall, its torrent flowing and cascading as it plummets down from the cliff heights to come crashing down at the base. Anna woke—

_Gotta go! Gotta go!_ She got out of bed and ran down to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she returned to her bedroom, finally noticing that it was dark out. It was only midday when they got back to the castle, though she couldn't exactly remember actually getting to her bedroom.

Well, she was pretty hungry, now, so she put on her dressing gown and slippers, and headed to the kitchen for a snack.

Walking down the hall, though, she heard voices. Going a little further, she could that they were coming from the library. Voices and laughter. A few steps more. Elsa?

"…and said '_Watch this!'_ and she took off from far end, running for about twenty feet, and then just started sliding down the hall on her stocking feet. I _think_ she meant to stop in front of my door, she started doing some kind of _'look at me'_ pose, but just kept on going, full speed. She must have realized it, because she started backpedaling, trying to stop, but she had too much speed, and just went _whoosh_, right off the edge and down the stairs. I could hear the banging and crashing all the way down. It's funny now, but I was terrified that she had gotten herself seriously hurt. But no, there she was at the bottom, laying on the floor rubbing her head, with pieces of a suit of armor all around her."

Laughing. Elsa and… who?

Anna took a few more steps.

"Oh, I'm all out, too," she heard Elsa say. "Hold on, I'll call and get some more. One of the privileges of being Queen, you know."

Elsa was talking kind of funny, and a lot more than she normally does, too, Anna thought. She heard the distant ringing of a bell, the result of Elsa pulling the bell-pull in the library to get the attention of some of the castle staff. Who is she talking to?

Anna walked the rest of the way to the library door, which was partly open, where lantern and fire light leaked out into the hallway. She opened the door and looked in.

Elsa, who was still standing near the wall where the bell ropes hung, turned towards the now open door. "Anna!" she called out.

The library was quite the sight to see. Next to Elsa, standing on a table, was an ice figure of a large house-cat, and next to it was some kind of bird, also ice, as if it was about to take flight. In the middle of the room as some kind of archway made of ice, with a fancy floral design all around. The head of a frozen dragon seemed to be mounted on the wall, and to the right was a large sculpture of a reindeer, horns and all, which looked just like Sven, and so it was only proper that next to it, sitting on a settee, was Kristoff.

"Hey, Feisty-pants!" he called out.

Elsa turned towards Kristoff, with a funny look on her face, like she was holding something in. Which she was, because just a few seconds later, she was laughing. "You called her Feisty-pants!" she said, as if it was the funniest thing she ever heard. Kristoff was giving off some kind of choked giggling as well.

"What is going—" Anna started to say, then noticed the two empty wine bottles. Was Elsa _drunk_?! And there were about half-a-dozen empty beer bottles over by Kristoff, like the ones Papa used to drink. Kristoff too?

"Anna!" Elsa called out again, a bit louder than necessary. "You're awake! We thought you'd sleep aaallll night long."

"Um, yeah," Anna said, not quite sure how to deal with Elsa right now. "I was hungry, so I—"

But Elsa cut in, "Great! I just rang the kitchen, so we can get you something. Um, I know! A sandwich. You. Like. Sandwiches!" Elsa called it out like she was making a royal decree. Kristoff started laughing again, too, mumbling, "sandwiches."

"What are you two doing?" Anna finally was able to ask.

"We're just talking." Elsa said, slightly slurred. How much has she had?

"Uh yeah. What about those?" Anna responded, leaning her head towards the ice cat, bird, and reindeer.

"Oh! And playing with my ice. That's Sssven!" Elsa declared, pointing and stumbling slightly. "Kristoff was telling about when he and Sven were off on an ice harvesting trip, and Sven thought he saw a wolf, but it was actually—"

"No, no!" Kristoff interrupted, "that's not what happened, let me tell it—"

"But what about the ice?" Anna tried asking again.

"That's Sven!" Elsa declared once more, then seemed to realize she was repeating herself, continued, "Seemed like a good idea. Kristoff was telling a story about Sven and so I thought he should have Sven here too, but we couldn't go get Sven from the stables, he's probably sleeping. And he'd probably make a mess like last time he was in the castle, and the staff didn't like that. They didn't say anything, but I could tell. That's why I'm a good Queen, I don't make messes."

"Huh?" Anna managed to say.

"That wasn't Sven," Kristoff seemed to suddenly realize, "That was Olaf!"

"Oh." Elsa seemed to be concentrating, thinking hard about something. "I guess that explains the carrot." And both she and Kristoff started laughing again, though Anna wasn't sure what was so funny.

"Elsa, maybe you've had en—" Anna started, almost getting a full sentence in this time.

"Hey! I should make an ice statue for you too. Not make you into an ice statue, that was bad, I'm not doing _that_ again. You know why? Because I love you!" Elsa said it like another royal decree. "But what should I make… I know!"

Elsa took a couple steps, then scrunched up her face and sticking her tongue out the left side of her mouth in concentration, raised her arms and started swirling her hands around. Next to Anna, currents of snow and ice twisted around in circles until after about ten seconds, there stood an ice statue of Hans, complete with sideburns and a nasty, self-satisfied smile.

Anna looked back at Elsa, not knowing why she would have chosen _that_ for her, only to see Elsa picking up a metal poker from the fireplace. She strode up to Anna and offered her the instrument. "Here, give him a good whack, like he deserves. Can't do it to the real thing anymore, that would cause too much trouble, and I know that because I'm Queen. When you hit him on the boat, that was for free. No more. But we can hit this one though! You go first."

Just then, Margodt, a woman from the kitchen staff, arrived. Curtseying, she said "Your Majesty, Your Highness, is there something you need from the kitchens?"

Elsa started, "Some more—"

But Anna cut in, "You know, I think Her Majesty has had enough for tonight. I'll be getting her to bed, now. Could you make sure Ice Master and Deliverer Bjorgman gets to his room safely? Thanks."

Anna grabbed Elsa around the waist with one arm to pull her along. Elsa, put her arm around Anna's shoulders, leaning over on her as she walked out of the library, calling out, "Goodnight Kristoff!"

As they stumbled down the hall, Elsa seemed to be mumbling in sing-song, "Let it go, let it go, Queen of Ice and Snow!" while waving in the air with her free hand, causing small bursts of snow in the air.

Finally getting to Elsa's room, Anna dragged her to her bed, sat her down, and started helping her change out of her clothes and into her nightgown. Elsa finally seemed to have quieted down, though she was still creating little snow showers, now definitely aimed over Anna's head, and giggling.

Brushing the snow off her hair, Anna helped Elsa into bed and tucked her in. "Goodnight, Elsa," she said and kissed her on the forehead, "I love you."

"Wuv you too," Elsa mumbled back, half into her pillows.

Closing the door to Elsa's room behind her, Anna stood once again in the hallway, thinking. Finally, she came to a decision. "Sandwich," she declared, and headed for the kitchen.


	14. Chapter 14 - The Spare

**Chapter 14 – The Spare**

Anna woke up. There was nothing unusual in that, she did it every day. But something was weird about her room. Anna blinked a few times, thinking about it and decided it was the light.

Of course, it was always light out when Anna woke up, but there was something very different about the light this morning. She sat up and realized what it was. The angle. Normally, Anna woke up well past dawn and the sun would have been well up past the horizon. This morning, however, said sun had the temerity to shine right into her window and wake her just past rising.

Of course having slept through half of yesterday all of last night (minus a break to take care of Elsa and grab a bite,) it did not seem unreasonable to wake, even at such an unreasonable hour. No reasonable person would actually wake at dawn if they didn't have to. Except Elsa, of course.

Elsa! If I'm awake and she's awake, then we're both awake! And we can have breakfast together. Over the last week, Anna learned that, normally, Elsa will have been up for hours, having already eaten breakfast by herself, and hard at work doing Queen-things by the time Anna woke up. A couple days, when work was light, Elsa had forborne her breakfast until Anna has risen, which was really nice. But this time, it was Anna's turn to surprise Elsa and join _her_ for breakfast. So Anna quickly washed up and got dressed, not wanting to miss her sister.

And so Anna was in for quite the surprise upon arriving in the family dining room, that Elsa was not there. Nor did there appear to be any sign that she had been.

Anna entered the small kitchen that adjoined the dining room, where she saw a young woman, probably about the same age as Anna, working, cutting up some vegetables. "Um, hello," Anna probed.

The woman looked up, startled. "Oh, Your Highness! I am so sorry, we were not expecting you. Would you care for some breakfast?"

"Gitta, right?—" she nodded "—Have you seen my sister yet this morning?" Anna queried.

"No, Your Highness. The Queen usually has an early breakfast, but this morning she has hasn't come by."

"Huh, weird. Well, I'll go find her and bring her back for breakfast. Thanks!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Gitta curtseyed as Anna turned to leave.

Exiting the dining room, Anna headed to Elsa's study. She's probably already working on something and just _skipped_ breakfast. I guess that's being a good Queen, Anna thought, so dedicated, but she needs to eat. And spend time with her sister.

But Elsa's study was empty, as was the library next door. Returning to the hallway, she saw Gerda, the head housekeeper, carrying a tray with a pot of tea and cups, heading into the residential wing.

"Hey, Gerda," Anna called out. "Have you seen Elsa this morning?"

Gerda turned to Anna and smiled. "Sort of. Her Majesty is still in her rooms. She's not feeling well, which is no surprise. I was bringing her this tea which should help make her feel better."

"Oh. Hey, I'll take the tea to her and see how she's doing."

Gerda smiled again, "Very good, Your Highness," and carefully handed the tray to Anna. "Take is slowly. The tea is very hot and you don't want to spill it."

"Thanks, I'll be careful." Which they both knew meant there was about an even chance of Anna making it to Elsa's room, tea set intact.

But this time, she made it, and had even been able to open Elsa's door using only her elbow for the latch and her back to push it open. "Elsa, it's me, I'm coming in." A big change from just a couple weeks ago, when she thought she would never enter Elsa's room. Now she was just barging on in.

Backing into the room, Anna turned to find a spot for the tea tray, and finally got a look at Elsa. Elsa was sprawled inchoate across her bed, blankets all askew, pillows on the floor, and a pile of snow covering her head, her mouth and nose peeking out of one end, and her blond braid sticking out the other.

Anna realized that perhaps her sister had not yet recovered from last night's imbibing.

"Hey Elsa!" called out Anna, perhaps a little louder than necessary.

"mmmm… uuuhhh," Elsa articulated.

"Come on, Elsa. I got your tea, so get up and let's go," Anna said encouragingly, setting the tea down.

"gggguuu… don't feel good. My head," Elsa managed to elocute.

"Elsa… you need to get up. You have a kingdom to run," Anna countered.

Elsa mumbled something that Anna couldn't make out.

"Huh? What was that?"

A bit louder, Elsa managed to say, facetiously, "You run it!"

Anna crossed her arms defiantly. "Fine. I'll do that."

* * *

Half an hour later, Anna was enjoying _two_ breakfasts in the family dining room. The kitchen staff had prepared breakfast for both Anna and Elsa based on Anna saying she was bringing Elsa back. But with no Elsa, there was extra food, and Anna couldn't let it go to waste.

Just as Anna began working on the last slice of toast with marmalade, Yakob Lefferson, Elsa's personal secretary, appeared at the dining room doorway, several journals and other papers clutched in his arms.

"Oh, good morning, Your Highness. I was wondering if you had seen the Queen? We were supposed to have met in her office, but she is not there, so I though perhaps she was still here. But I see she isn't."

"Sheev shig," Anna mumbled through a mouthful of toast. Quickly finishing the food, Anna repeated herself, "She's sick."

"Oh, it's not serious, is it?"

"Naw, she should fine by lunch-time. She said I can be Queen until she's feeling better."

"Ah, excellent. Captain Stigen has requested an audience. Do you have your own crown, Your Highness?"

"What? There's actual queen-work to do? A crown?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Most of these papers can wait, and really require the Queen's personal attention, since she is familiar with the topics. But there appears to have been an incident at the docks late last night, and Captain Stigen came to the castle wishing to speak to the Queen, but she had already retired for the night. And so he has now returned."

"Oh. Um, I don't have a crown. I might have something though."

"Very good. I need to return these papers to the Queen's office first, but shall I meet you by the throne room?"

"Throne Room, wow. Okay, see you there in a little bit."

Lefferson bowed, and exited the room.

Anna wiped her mouth and got up. Poking her nose into the kitchen, she called out, "Thanks, Gitta. Breakfast was great!" then ran back to her room.

Digging around the top shelf of one of her wardrobes, she finally found what she was looking for, a wooden box, about one foot square and maybe 4 inches tall, the lid inlayed with silver and gold forming the Royal Crest of Arendelle, a stylized crocus. Carefully pulling it down, Anna placed it on her dressing table and opened it. Within, she found the tiara that Papa and Mama gave to her on her thirteenth birthday. It was silver, its metal twisted in fanciful patterns that hinted at leaves and flowers, and had a number of green and purple gems placed along its length.

It was a bit over-sized for thirteen year old Anna, but the idea was that she would continue to wear it when she was older. She wore it non-stop for the first couple weeks after her birthday, eventually stopping when Mama explained how delicate it was and difficult to repair. After that, Anna reserved it for special occasions, such as tea parties with her favorite dolls. Eventually she stopped wearing it, since there were no formal occasions where she would need it, the castle doors being closed.

Removing it from the cushioned box, Anna looked at it once again. Holding it brought back memories of Mama and Papa, now quite fresh after her having visited the trolls. Wiping away a few tears, she placed it on her head. Now, five year older, it fit her head quite well, requiring on a few pins to hold it in place. Admiring it in the mirror, Anna now considered whether she should also pin up her braids, since there wouldn't be time to properly style her hair, but finally decided not to. She was Princess Anna, The Royal Spare, and this was her who she was.

* * *

Anna met Lefferson outside the door to the throne room that Papa used to, and Elsa now, used. Seeing her tiara, Lefferson nodded approvingly, and opened the door for Anna. Anna entered the room, walked in, stepped up onto the dais where the two thrones sat, and stopped.

Anna wasn't sure what to do. The two chairs were formally known as the _King's Throne_ and the _Queen's Throne_. Papa used to sit on the King's, and Mama, when she has reason to, sat on the Queen's. Made sense. But now Elsa is queen, but she sits on the King's Throne. So, Anna wondered, is she supposed to sit on the Queen's Throne? She's not queen, just a princess. Just the spare.

Lefferson, seeing her confusion, spoke up, "Your Highness," and raised his hand, indicating the King's Throne.

"Really?" Anna asked, not at all sure. She didn't want do anything _too_ wrong on her very first day of being temporary queen.

"Yes, Your Highness. As the appointed regent, you site on the regnant's throne."

"Oh… I guess that makes sense."

Anna approached the _King's Throne_, and smiled. There was a cushion on the seat.

Anna sat on the throne, trying to get comfortable, and Lefferson nodded to a guard, then sat in his own small chair behind a small desk, just to the right of the dais. The guard, one of several posted about the room, approached the main doors, where those requesting audience with the queen entered, and opened it.

In walked a man in a naval uniform, presumably the aforementioned Captain Stigen, followed by a woman and two girls, presumably commoners, based on their clothes, good, but not fancy. Upon arriving in front of the thrones, the Captain bowed, and then stood quietly, as if waiting for something.

Which apparently, he was. Lefferson whispered to Anna, "You have to speak first."

"Oh!" Anna declared, perhaps a little too loudly. She turned to the patient man, "Captain. How can I, umm, help you?" she asked, a bit unsurely.

"Your Highness, I had hoped to speak to the Queen about this matter."

"Els—the Queen is not feeling well, so she made me Queen for the day."

"Yes, Your Highness. With me, " he turned slightly towards the three women, "are Alde Östberg and her daughters. They recently arrived from Malmö and are requesting refugee status under unusual circumstances."

"Unusual circumstances?" Anna turned to Lefferson, "What are the _usual_ circumstances?"

Lefferson responded in a rather formal tone, "According to Arendelle law, foreign nationals may be afforded refugee status if they are unable to return to their state of origin due to fear of persecution, including adverse legal or social measures or physical violence, because of their race, religion, or group membership, or due to displacement in times of war or civil unrest."

Anna nodded, focusing and processing what the secretary was saying. "Right." She turned back to Captain Stigen and the women, "So what's going on in Malmo? There's no war in Malmo, is there?"

"No, Your Highness. Madam Östberg says that she and her daughters fled threats of violence due to their use of magic."

"Magic!" Anna cried out. Turning to the mother, "You can do magic?"

Östberg curtseyed and replied a bit nervously, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Really! What kind? Can you make ice and snow, like Elsa? Wait. People were going to _hurt_ you?"

"No, Your Highness, not like the Queen. My family have always been healers."

"Your family?"

"Yes, Your Highness. My grandmother was a healer and she taught my mother, and my mother taught me." She put her around her the shoulders of the two girls, "And I have been teaching my daughters."

"Well, healing's a pretty good thing to have. Why would people want to hurt you?"

"I don't know, Your Highness. My family has lived in Svedala for many years. It's a village outside of Malmö, the city. We have always helped our neighbors with their illnesses or injuries, and sometime helped with troubled births. There has never been trouble before. People from other villages would come to us, too. Sometime they would even ask us to visit their villages to help where many people came down with the same illness at once. Even in Malmö the city itself a few times. My grandmother said that she had helped cure the old Prince's daughter, many years ago. There had never been trouble before. Until Queen Elsa…"

_What?_ "What do you mean, until Elsa?"

"When we first heard about what happened in Arendelle, people just thought it was a story, or just interesting, but no one was acting any different. But then we heard from other villages that group of Royal Guards and some foreigners were going from town to town, looking for people who could do magic… and there was a story, from another village, of when they found a woman who some people were calling a witch, they took her away with them, and no one knows where she went. When we heard that they were coming to our village soon, the people started acting strange, hostile towards us. They said they didn't want to get in trouble because of us. Some starting calling us witches, and that our magic was evil. People we have helped, or families we had helped."

The woman was fighting back tears now. She clutched her daughters more closely to her, and continued, "Some men even tried to take my little ones while they were out playing, to hold them until the guards came. But the men got into a fight with each other, and so my daughters got away and we hid. Some friends helped us, they hid us for a day, then at night took us to the ports and we were able to get ride over to Copenhagen. But once there, we had nowhere to go, no one to help us. We used what little money we had left to get passage to the one place we could think of that would help us. Arendelle."

Anna sat listen, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "That horrible! Of course Arendelle will help you." She turned to Lefferson, "How can we help them?"

"You Highness, the Crown has funds allocated for the maintenance of refugees, to provide housing and cover expenses for food, clothes, and other incidentals, for a period of time until they can become properly settled within the regular population. However, they don't precisely meet the established criteria for refugees…"

"Well, they do now. As temporary Queen, I hereby rule that having magic counts for getting refugee status. Once Elsa is better, we'll get it all formal and legalized. Okay?"

Lefferson nodded, while rapidly making notes in his ledger, "Yes, Your Highness."

Alde Östberg and her daughters rushed up to throne, taking and kissing Anna hand. A guard came closer, hand on the pommel of his sword, but did not draw it. "Thank you, thank you, Your Highness," Östberg said amongst tears.

Rather startled by their reactions, Anna just muttered, "Um, sure. Glad we can help."

Then, thinking, said, "Healing, huh. I don't suppose you could cure a hangover?"

* * *

**A/N: **My story is getting some really nice reviews, thank you very much. I'm glad you like it.

So, I've been thinking about commissioning a better bit of title art from Comickergirl, assuming she has time. What scene do you think would be the best to ask her to draw?


	15. Chapter 15 - Attitude

**Chapter 15 – Attitude**

Elsa woke up. There was nothing unusual in that, she did it every day. But something was weird about her room. Elsa blinked a few times, thinking about it and decided it was the light.

Sometimes it was already light out when Elsa woke up, and sometimes not, depending on the season, but there was something very different about the light this morning. She sat up and realized what it was. The angle. Normally, Elsa woke early, the sun would have risen only a short time ago in the summer, or would be just about to in the winter. This morning, however, said sun had the temerity to just keep going past her window and rise high into the sky.

Except it wasn't morning. An intricate clock that hung on her wall showed the time to be shortly past noon. And she felt terrible. Not as bad as earlier this morning, when Anna tried to wake her… wait, Anna? Yes, she could remember Anna coming in and trying to get her up, which was a weird reversal. She remembered Anna mentioning tea, and there is was, sitting on a nightstand, and apparently stone cold. While the cold didn't bother her, she did prefer her tea hot.

Then is struck her. She had told Anna to run the kingdom for her. Elsa said it just to get Anna to leave her and let her sleep, but what if Anna took it seriously? Well, the castle hadn't burnt down, so it couldn't be that bad, right?

Elsa rung for some servants so she could have a hot bath. Again, the cold water wouldn't bother her, but really. The City Dinner was tonight, and having wasted the morning, she would need to catch up on a lot of paperwork before dinner. No chance Anna would have handled _that_ during her morning as regent.

Finally, after about an hour, she was cleaned and clothed and ready to see what had become of Arendelle under the glorious reign of Queen Anna the Red.

* * *

Karl Lugdahl was not happy.

"What do you mean, it's not coming?" he demanded of the assistant port-master.

Sigrek Falrson look at his ledger again, as if it the notes and entries might have changed in the last five seconds since he last looked.

"I'm sorry sir, but the _Talveine_ won't be coming to port in Arendelle. None of the _Vagn-Ventzel_ ships will be."

Lugdahl shook his head in aggravation. "I have a contract with _Ventzel_. They can't just stop delivering my supplies! I only have a week's supply, at most. I can't run a business like this."

Lugdahl's family made furniture. And not just any furniture, but high quality furniture that was in demand throughout Scandihalvø and across the Northern Sea. He didn't make it himself, of course, not any more. He did for a while when he was young, as if he were an apprentice; all the Lugdahl men did. Can't run a business if you don't know the business, his grandfather use to say. Just a few generations ago, his family built all the furniture themselves, but with their success came greater demand, and so they expanded, trained their own carpenters and other craftsmen and women, and built their factory on the edge of the city. Karl Lugdahl's father ran the business now, and one day Karl would. At least he hoped he would. But first they had to get past their little supply problem. High quality furniture requires high quality wood, and Arendelle just didn't have the wood he needed, and so he imported it, mostly hardwoods from the lands on the eastern shore of the Northern Sea. But now…

Glancing down, Lugdahl saw, sitting in the ledger, an envelope with the interlocking letters V imprinted on it, the logo of _Vagn-Ventzel_. It was open and Lugdahl could see the folded sheet of paper in it. "Is that the message? Can I see it?"

Falrson picked up the envelope and pulled the letter out. "Yes, sir," he said, handing it to Lugdahl.

He skimmed past the boilerplate text on top, finally getting to the heart of it. _"Due to deleterious commercial conditions, Vagn-Ventzel will no longer be doing business with the Port of Arendelle. Those with active contracts should contact the Vagn-Ventzel headquarters in Stralsund for rectification."_

He dropped the letter back onto the desk. "Deleterious? What do they mean by that? They've never had any problems in Arendelle before."

"No sir, " Falrson replied to the rhetorical question. "Everything has always been in order with _Vagn-Ventzel_."

"Damn it! It will take me months to arrange new contracts with another company," Lugdahl fumed.

"It might have something to do with the Weselton embargo," Falrson suggested.

"What, the runt Duke getting companies to abandon Arendelle? Wouldn't put it past him, he's always got his fingers in something. But what can I do about it?"

Falrson shugged. He was just an assistant port-master; he didn't get involved in politics.

"Well, inter-kingdom affairs, that's the new Queen's business. It just so happens that I'll be at her big dinner tonight, so I guess I have something to break the ice."

* * *

"…and there should be a stand on every street corner in the city within two blocks of the new market square so everyone can get a copy of their own, _especially_ the kids. Two, if they have a cat — Elsa!"

Elsa entered her office where _Queen_ Anna was standing in the middle, making royal declarations, while poor Yakob Lefferson tried to keep up while taking notes. Upon seeing her sister, Anna ran over for a quick hug. Pulling out of it, but still holding onto Elsa's hands, Anna announced, "Being Queen is kind of fun! Meeting interesting new people, making important decisions. Not the paperwork, you can keep _that_ part."

Elsa laughed and turned to her secretary, "So Yakob, what has Her Majesty decided this morning?"

"Well, Your Majesty, I attempted to record every edict Her Highness declared, but I'm afraid that she often spoke a bit more quickly than I could write. However, it seems the Arendelle's official rock is now the ice-cube, all citizens are now required to have tomato soup for lunch on Wednesdays, we are forming a new confederacy of nations that like grandfather-clocks, and Arendelle will be celebrating an annual Chocolate Appreciation Day, inexplicably, three times a year."

Anna jumped in to explain, "One in spring, summer, and autumn. In the winter, it will be _Hot_ Chocolate Appreciation Day!"

"Ah, of course," said Lefferson, smiling and making a note in his journal.

Laughing lightly, Elsa said to her sister, "It sounds like the kingdom was left in good hands. I'll be sure to take these up with the council at our next meeting."

Anna crossed her arms, feigning upset.

"Actually, Your Majesty, Princess Anna did handle a matter of real importance this morning," Lefferson contributed.

"Oh yeah! You need to meet Alde Östberg and her daughters. They can do magic!"

* * *

Josef Krako was not happy.

Josef Krako was losing a great deal of money.

Josef Krako was in the import/export business, but not the _regular_ import/export business. Krako's business dealt with the transportation of items that would not normally be listed on a ship's manifest. This business required the development of special relationships, with ship's captains, with port-masters, with certain Dukes.

This embargo with Weselton has made his business more difficult to operate. Ships would no longer travel directly from Weselton to Arendelle, and back. His goods would now need to make a more circuitous route, stopping in an extra port or two in order to obfuscate things, before finally heading to their original destination. And that slowed things down, added more points of failure and more palms to grease. It cost him money. And Josef Krako did not like that.

And Josef Krako did not like the people, that is, the _queen_, that created this whole problem.

* * *

Once again, Elsa found herself alone in her office. Anna had left to get ready for the evening's dinner, and her secretary had moved to his own office to work on the preparation of a few documents for her. And so, enjoying the quiet, she read through the latest dispatches that Lefferson had given her. There were three in all today, official communications from other kingdoms.

The first was easily dismissed, a lovely letter from the King of Livonia. It was on the highest quality parchment, with gold filigree along the edges, and written in the most elegant calligraphy. In the letter, King Henrik Otto Albedyll requested Queen Elsa's hand in marriage. Elsa was surprised, in fact, that it had taken so long to arrive. Prince Henrick, now well into his seventies, had a bit of a reputation. Most female royals in kingdoms around the Northern Sea have been proposed to by the Prince at some point. Usually, after some event has drawn attention to said royal, the proposal was rarely far behind. It seems to have actually worked a couple times, as he had been married twice, if only briefly each time. It was said that his castle in his capital Riga is very nice, Livonia a prosperous and beautiful kingdom, and the Prince himself generous. However, it was also said that Prince Henrik was never satisfied with the attention of any one woman for very long, and was constantly looking for his next mistress.

The second note was slightly more important. An official decree from the County of Cuxhaven, declaring that it was ceasing all commercial transactions with Arendelle, signed and sealed by its ruler, Count Herman von Otterdorf. This decree, in and of itself, was not particularly significant; Arendelle had little or no direct trade with Cuxhaven. Cuxhaven was a small, commercial port city, a little less than thirty miles from its far more powerful neighbor, the Duchy of Wesselton. The Count did nothing not instructed to by the Duke. What was important about it was what it represented: the beginning of a trade war between Arendelle and its allies, and Wesselton along with its minions. If it escalates, it could result in a serious economic disruption among all the states in the Northern Sea area and beyond.

The last document was, thankfully, of a far more positive nature. It was an official document from the King of Corona indicating his desire to exchange embassies with Arendelle. Arendelle was a small kingdom, just one of many, and, prior to the events surrounding the coronation, not well known unless one had specific business with it. It had maintained a few embassies, primarily only with nearby kingdoms, and only those with which Arendelle had a relationship, such as Porsgrunn, just fifty miles up the coast, with whom Arendelle co-operated patrolling for pirates and raiders. It had maintained trade consulates with, perhaps, a handful more kingdoms, but that was about it. And when King Agdar closed the gates, those few embassies were closed as well, isolating Arendelle politically.

Re-establishing the embassies with Porsgrunn and other kingdoms where Arendelle previously had diplomatic relations was high on Elsa's to-do list as Queen, but expanding beyond those had not been considered necessary. Corona was a larger, more significant kingdom, and a standing relationship with it would be a very positive benefit to Arendelle. Crown Princess Rapunzel had, in fact, during their meeting after the thaw, promised that Corona would support Arendelle in its embargo against Wesselton, making the two kingdoms closer to allies. Elsa certainly hoped they could continue their good relationship, and would have to think hard on whom to appoint as ambassador.

Elsa leaned back in her chair, and idly summoned a small snow shower. There was still a good pile of paperwork still to be handled, requests to approved, budgets to analyze, funds to allocate, but nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow. And so her thoughts were drawn to the interesting discovery this morning.

A woman had come to Arendelle, a woman who claimed she could do magic. Three women, really, if you include her daughters. She would need to see this woman. If it was real, that would be… something. Elsa wasn't sure how she felt about it. She has spent much of her life hiding her magic, believing that it hurt anyone she came close to. But this woman was, if it was true, a _healer_, the opposite of what Elsa had believed herself to be. This woman, and according to her story, her mother and grandmother, and also her daughters, _helped_ people, _cured_ people, made their lives better with her magic.

Elsa was still coming to terms with her new relationship with her power. A bit over a week is a short time to break habits built up over thirteen years. "Love will thaw" had replaced "Conceal, don't feel," but it wasn't always so easy. She still unintentionally froze the area around her or caused a snow storm when startled or nervous, but it was becoming less frequent. Still, she wondered what her life might have been like had she learned this lesson when she was young, learn control of her powers thirteen years ago, lived a normal (well, maybe not _normal_,) life, a life _with_ her sister.

Elsa stood up, took a deep breath, and dismissed any further maudlin thoughts. She _and Anna_, had a celebratory dinner to attend in a couple hours, and there were much better things she could be doing rather than sitting around a dimly lit office. Circling her desk, Elsa headed for the exit, reaching the handle just in time to be hit by the suddenly opening door.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Hey, my first negative review! I guess that means I've truly made it. :)


	16. Chapter 16 - Distractions

**Chapter 16 – Distractions**

Disoriented, Elsa blinked a few times to clear her head. She found herself sitting disjointedly on a fresh sheet of ice, the door to her office hanging ajar.

Normally, anyone who wanted to enter the queen's office would knock, announce themselves, and ask for permission before entering. Except Anna, of course, she just bursts in now, unannounced and without slowing down, but Elsa didn't mind. Except there was no sign of Anna, so who…? And then Elsa saw the carrot, slowly rocking back and forth on the floor.

She stood up, dispelled her ice, picked up the carrot, and opened the door. Just on the other side of the portal was Olaf. Well, _some_ of Olaf. His head, now minus his nose and one of his arms, laid unattended in the hallway. And a slowly growing puddle of water. Olaf's personal flurry was nowhere to be seen.

Elsa bent down and picked up the head and arm. "Olaf, are you okay?"

"Oooo, something hit me," he declared.

Elsa smiled. "I think it was the door. After it hit _me_ first."

"It hit you! That's not a nice door. Hey, since you're the queen, would that be treason? Or, I guess since it's made of wood, it would be _treeee_-son. Heh!"

Elsa laughed. Noticing that the snowman's head was getting a little slushy, she waved her hand, summoned a bit of magic, and chilled Olaf's head so it would hold its shape for a while.

"Come on, let's go find the rest of you."

It didn't take long; they just had to follow the sounds of bumping and crashing around the corner. There, down a lesser used hall containing unused offices and storage rooms, ran Olaf's one-armed body, back and forth across the hall, bumping into the walls and doors, his snow flurry trailing after trying to keep up.

Elsa started to approach, but then stopped. She could see it. The magic. _Her_ magic.

She could sense the magic in her snow-cloud, a light glowing in the cloud itself, and many dimmer motes swirling around it and drifting down with the flakes themselves. And in Olaf's body as well. She could see a concentration of magic glowing from where his snowy heart would be, and more flowing around his stick arm and down to his snowball feet.

But that was weird. Olaf's body was running around on its own, out of control, of its own volition. She glanced down to Olaf's head, which she held in her arms. It contains a brightly glowing mote of magic as well.

Elsa straightened the snowman's head so he could see down the hall as well. "Olaf, can you get your body to come over here?"

"I wish!" he cried out, "When we get separated, my body likes to run around. It's _craaaazy_. Like it has a mind of its own."

And that was it, Elsa realized. Olaf's wasn't just one magical spirit that she put into the body of a snowman, it was two. Maybe more? When connected, they worked together; but broken apart, you got this, two separate entities, each operating independently. That was… _interesting_.

Elsa sighed. She created Olaf when she was on the North Mountain, only having just embraced her powers and letting it go. She created the snowman from Anna and her youth, but never meant to give him life, like she later did for her ice-palace guardian. She had no idea what she had done, or how she had done it.

Olaf's body had just crashed into yet another door, but its one hand was now vainly pulling on the door handle. Elsa waved her free hand and summoned a cold breeze which blew past her down the hall, turned and gusted back, pushing Olaf's decapitated form back towards her. Once close enough, she mounted his head back where it belonged.

As she did this, she again noticed the flow of magic. Once the head and body were close, she could see a flow of the magic particles, streaming from the head to the body, and from the body back to the head. The eddy of magic got faster as the head neared the body, and she even felt a slight tug, a bit of magical attraction, when they met.

"Oh, that's much better!" Olaf called out. "I'd give you a nice warm hug, but I really need _both_ of my arms to do it… Hello. Elsa?"

Elsa's reverie was broken by the stick arm that she still held waving in her face. "Oh, sorry. Here you go."

As Elsa attached Olaf's displaced arm, she noticed the same flow of magic from the body to the arm, again gently tugging itself back into its socket.

Olaf wiggled his reclaimed arm, as if testing the joint. The flurry, having finally caught up, floated overhead, gently dropping cool snowflakes.

"So, Olaf, what brings you up to my office? Just a friendly visit?" inquired Elsa of her snowy creation.

"Well, I love to visit, of course. But I was just getting away from all the angry people. I offered them warm hugs, but they weren't interested. Angry people are no fun at all."

"Angry people?" said Elsa, surprised, "What angry people?"

"A bunch of them, downstairs in front of the castle."

"What?" Elsa turned, hearing approaching boot-steps.

"Your Majesty!"

Three guardsmen arrived from around the corner, the lead one bowing. "There is some unrest in the castle courtyard. Captain Krog sent us to find you."

"Yes, very good. Let us see what the trouble is."

"Um, Your Majesty. The captain instructed us to keep you safe inside the castle while he dispersed the crowd."

Elsa started sternly at the guardsman. "That is not the kind of kingdom I will be queen of. If people have something to say to me, I will hear them out. Now, take me to the Captain."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The three guards took positions around Elsa as escort as they left the hallway and headed for the main doors, Olaf skipping along ahead of them.

* * *

Kristoff sat at the bar at the _Thirsty Reindeer_, a town pub, working on some chicken, bread, and cheese he was having for lunch. And some water. He had had enough ale last night and had been feeling it pretty badly this morning. Kristoff could normally hold his beer pretty well, but the fancy stuff tended to be a bit more potent, and in the castle, it was _all_ fancy stuff.

And better to have lunch here, out in the town, _out_ of the castle. It was getting a little weird. He was working for the castle now, as _Official Ice Master and Deliverer_, so he had a legitimate reason to be there. But then he was also having dinner with the queen, and then spending more time with her, drinking and telling stories. _With the queen._ Spent the night in the castle, where the staff did his laundry for him, and happily got breakfast for him… so yeah, he had to get out of there and back to where it was _normal_.

"…thing to do about it!" called out a voice from behind him in the common room. Kristoff turned a bit to see what was going on. At one table, there appeared to be a group of about five local townsmen, probably workers and craftsmen judging from their clothes, deep in a now vigorous conversation.

The man waving his arms about seemed to have the floor. He continued, "She's hurting all our businesses with her crazy politics. We're all losing money. And can we really trust her? She has magic! Who knows how that has affected her mind?"

Kristoff didn't like the sound of that. He was about to get up and give the man a piece of _his_ mind, but it seemed he didn't need to. Another man at the table readily took up the defense. "You're the one who's crazy. Business is fine, even better for some with all the attention Arendelle is getting thanks to _the Queen_. And we're better off without the business from Weaseltown; the Duke was crooked as the day is long in summer. No one ever got a good deal from there, high prices, poor quality product, and bribes all along the line just to get what you were due."

"Well, I still say she can't be trusted!" the first man said, resuming the offense. "She has _magic_. So you know she's in league with demons or djinn or _something_. If you just let her stay there in the castle, then you're just waiting until the real evil comes out. She almost killed us all with her ice! What do you think she'll do next?"

"Anything else, sir?" said a voice from behind him.

Kristoff turned back to the bar. It was Helga, the serving girl, of course. Short, cute, and a little too energetic.

"No, I'm done. Thanks. How much do I owe you?"

"15 øre."

Kristoff dug in his pocket, pulled out a one kroner coin and dropped it on the bar.

Helga grabbed the coin, then, seeming to notice something, held it up with her fingers on the edges. "Hey, this is new. A _Queen Elsa_ kroner coin."

Kristoff looked at the gold coin Helga was holding, but all he could see was the reverse, an engraving of an intricate snowflake, surrounded by the words "Kingdom of Arendelle" across the top and "Love will Thaw" along the bottom. He dug into his pocket again and pulled out a handful of coins this time, which included both gold kroners and silver øre.

He picked up another kroner coin to get a better look at the obverse, a profile of Elsa, crown above her head, and the words "One Kroner" on top and the year "A.L. 1840" on the bottom. Shuffling out a silver øre coin, he took a look at it. On the obverse was the profile of Anna, with the text "One Øre" on top, and the same year below, and on the reverse was a stylized crocus, with "Kingdom of Arendelle" on top and, weirdly, the words "Wait, what?" on the bottom. Was this some kind of joke?

Helga suddenly grabbed the silver coin right out of Kristoff's hand. "You have the øre coins, too! These are great, I have to get some more before they're all taken."

"All taken? What?"

"The coins!" Helga exclaimed, suddenly realizing she was talking to an idiot. "After there's a new king or queen, they start making new coins, right? And they usually make a short run of coins to commemorate the coronation, just a few, so they can be collected, before making the usual boring kind. And you're just spending them! Where did you get them? Do you have any more?"

"Oh, I sort of work with the castle now. I delivered some ice yesterday and this is what Master Kai paid me. I didn't really even look."

"Delivered ice?" Helga looked at Kristoff in amazement, as if he had just grown antlers. "You're him! The ice-deliverer. The queen's new boyfriend!"

"Huh?" was about the most erudite response Kristoff could manage.

"Gitti and Mya won't believe it, that you're actually here. Mya has been saying that you and Princess Anna were a couple, because you kissed her a week ago. She even started writing a story about you and the Princess! But I didn't think so; she's too young, too silly. _I_ always thought it would be you and Queen Elsa. She's older and more responsible. You had to work, harvesting ice all your life, right? How could the Princess appreciate that, when she's had everything just given to her and had nothing to do. Queen Elsa, when she was growing up, was always working and studying and learning to be the queen, _and_ dealing with her powers. So you'd appreciate her more, that's what I've been saying. And ice harvester and ice powers? Of course you'd be with the Queen! Gitta and I said…"

A bit stunned by the girl's output, Kristoff turned back to the table of arguing men. But that seemed to have broken up while Kristoff was distracted, the men now just grumbling amongst themselves, and the first man, the trouble-maker, now gone.

Realizing that the girl was still talking, he just dropped his handful of coins on the bar. "Here, you can have these," then got up and headed for the door.

Helga called to Kristoff as he was leaving, "Hey, I can give you some regular coins, if you—" but Kristoff didn't hear the rest as he exited the tavern into the street, looking left and right for the man.

Kristoff saw him, to his left, just turning the corner from Alvaran Street, where the _Reindeer_ was, onto Berryhill Lane. Kristoff ran, hurrying up to the intersection before the man could get out of his sight. As Kristoff turned the corner, he could see the man he was following about a block ahead, at another corner, near a couple bakeries facing each other across the street. The man was looking back and forth between the two shops and both ways down the crossroad, Alyssum Way, as if trying to decide which way to go.

Kristoff stayed around the corner, so he wouldn't be seen if the man turned back and looked, and watched. After a few moments of apparent confusion, the man appeared to pull a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and looked at it. After a few seconds, the man thrust the paper back into his pocket and turned left, heading north along the cross street.

Clearly, the man was _not_ an Arendelle local as he was making himself out to be back at the tavern. So what was he up to? Going to a local tavern and trying to get the people riled up against the Queen?

Kristoff carefully followed the man for a few more minutes, until the man seemed to have arrived at his destination, another local tavern frequented by Arendelle commoners, workers and businessmen, the _Silver Pig_. Not a place Kristoff had frequented much, the food not really to his liking, their cook always trying some fancy new continental recipe. But still unassuming, _and cheap_, enough for the regular crowd of people. After apparently checking his appearance in the window, making a few adjustments, the man entered.

A couple minutes later, Kristoff followed, entering the tavern. He went to the bar and ordered an ale, making sure to pay with old Queen Idun øre coins so as not to cause a stir, just in case. Glancing about, he found his man in a situation similar to what he had seen back in the _Reindeer_, sitting amongst a group of men, talking. But not just talking, talking about the Queen, and not in a nice way.


	17. Chapter 17 - Complications

**Chapter 17 – Complications**

The men met in the Duke's darkened office, the door closed, curtains pulled.

"Well!? Report!"

Bashir pauses a few seconds longer than needed before beginning his report. The Duke may be able to order around his lackeys, but Bashir worked for the Duke of his own choosing; the Duke had no power over him. He occasionally needed to be reminded of that fact.

"The Count of Cuxhaven complied with no resistance, but that was expected," Bashir began. "Arendelle has likely received their declaration of embargo already. The Prince of Groningen also agreed, though it may be a week before he can make his official statement. He has his Assembly of Lords to go through first, but enough of them are sufficiently indebted to Your Grace that there will be no objections. King Sigmund of Halmstad has been resistant, though, making the usual objections."

"Bah!" called out the Duke. "He owes me over ten thousand thaler. I'll cut him off, no more."

"The people will likely starve," Bashir commented neutrally.

"Yes, good. A little civil unrest should help lead Sigmund to the right decision."

"Those are the only kingdoms close enough for reports to have gotten back. We will know more in a few days."

"Yes, yes," said the Duke, waving his hand dismissively. "What about the other matter?"

Bashir pulled out some new papers, referring to them as he spoke. "I've had agents investigating the reports of magic use that you provided."

"The first, an alleged witch in the Loretz Valley, was an old report. The woman has been dead for over five years. No known relatives or associates."

"Second, a healer in the village of Ösron. Apparently, she is just well versed in herbs, doesn't appear to use any magic."

"Oh, how do you know that?" interrupted the Duke. "She's probably just hiding it! Witches like her cannot be trusted."

"Yes, Your Grace. My men took… _extra-ordinary_ efforts to confirm this," Bashir countered. "Evidence of magic use would have been uncovered had there been any."

"Hmph," responded the Duke. "They still can't be trusted. Keep an eye on her!"

"Yes, Your Grace," Bashir responded, dismissing it.

"Regarding the reports of a wizard operating in the Arlanian Forest, that has become a problem. The agents sent to investigate have not been heard from, and they are now several days overdue. Additional agents are being sent now to locate the missing agents."

The Duke was practically jumping up and down, "See! See! They're dangerous."

Ignoring the Duke's antics, Bashir continued, "And there are confirmed report of a sorceress, located in Trentan County. However, there appears to have been advanced warning of our agents' approach, and the sorceress has gone into hiding. Efforts to locate her continue."

"What? Two of them are on the loose, this close to the capital!"

"Your Grace, there is nothing to worry about. My agents will locate and neutralize them."

"Well, they better. I am not so tolerant of this kind of evil goings-on in my land. My father may have allowed such things, but I have seen the light, and know that magic and sorcery and witchcraft are the working of demons and devils. Such things will_ not_ be allowed in Weselton, do you hear me? If I need to send the whole army across my lands to find them, I will."

Bashir just nodded along as the Duke ranted. While he was happy enough to take the Duke's money, these attitudes were a little disturbing. Religious beliefs are one thing, but the man was starting to appear unhinged, getting out of control. This will need to be watched as well, Bashir thought to himself.

"…and lock them up so they can't hurt anyone else." The Duke's tirade appeared to have come to an end, so Bashir decided it would be an appropriate time to take his leave.

"Yes, very good Your Grace." Giving a slight bow, he turned and exited the Duke's office, again through the hidden panels.

* * *

Kristoff stood around the corner of a warehouse just off Dock Street, down in the commercial section of Arendelle's seaport. The man he had been following had visited a total of four different taverns since he had drawn Kristoff's attention. In each one, the man had expertly selected a table of men, bought them drinks, and proceeded to engage in seditious conversation, raising complaints about the Queen, her government, her foreign and trade policy, and her magic. He even found a way to suggest salacious behavior of Princess Anna. It greatly tested Kristoff's nerve to hold his tongue, not to mention his fists, in response.

If this had simply been a local man with complaints, _actually_ from Arendelle, it would not have been any great concern. But this man clearly had a mission, to impersonate a working-class man of Arendelle, and systematically raise dissent among as many people as possible. And if there was one, there were likely others doing the same. And if there was a conspiracy against the Queen and Princess, Kristoff was determined to find out who was behind it.

And so, after visiting the four taverns, the man had unknowingly lead Kristoff here, to a less trafficked corner of the warehouse section of the docks. Apparently unaware of his pursuer, the man entered a building, where Kristoff could see several moving silhouettes through the cloudy windows, lit by dim lamp light.

After only a few more minutes, a man and a women, both also commonly dressed, approached the building and entered.

Kristoff remained behind cover, hoping to gain some further insight into these people's intentions. After about half an hour, as the sun started falling behind the mountains to the west despite the long summer day, the three people he had seen enter the warehouse plus an additional man emerged. However, instead of the rougher, common clothes that they had worn earlier, they were now decked out in suits and a gown of some significant quality, appearing quite out of place here in the warehouse district. The company then proceeded down the street, away from Kristoff's hiding place. Kristoff started to emerge, intending to follow, but then decided that they were likely planning to perform the same functions as earlier, but now in higher-class establishments. Ones where a rough-clothed ice harvester would not easily blend in, assuming he could even enter.

However, the warehouse where they had been meeting now seemed abandoned, the light in the window now extinguished. Kristoff decided that if he couldn't follow the people, perhaps he might find useful information in their lair.

Waiting an additional couple minutes to be sure the agitators were well clear, Kristoff emerged from his hiding place and approached the warehouse. Arriving at the door that he had seen the others use, he was frustrated to find it locked. After a few fruitless tugs on the door handle, he decided to seek other avenues of access. Circling the warehouse, he shortly found himself at the window where he had earlier seen the inhabitants within. It required a bit of encouragement, and a bit more noise than he would have liked, but Kristoff managed to get the window open enough to enter.

Inside the warehouse was dark, lit only by the angled sunlight coming through the misted windows. But it was enough for Kristoff to navigate to a nearby table where he found the lamp, and fortunately, a box of matches. He lit the lantern and looked around. There wasn't much to see, really, a few crates, some chairs, a few cots, and the table that he was standing next to. The table, however, did provide a few items of interest, that being a map of Arendelle town, a number of locations marked with ink, and a list of what appeared to be taverns, pubs, hostels, and clubs. There were some more papers, but Kristoff could not read them. Kristoff could read well enough, but he only knew Norse. These papers were in another language, probably something from the continent.

Flipping through them, he could only guess at the contents, but some appeared to be letters, and others were lists, a few items he could make out. Names. Names of people who he knew _were_ from Arendelle. What he _didn't_ know was whether this was a list of targets, or fellow conspirators.

* * *

Elsa arrived at the front of the castle with her entourage of three guardsmen and a snowman, much to the apparent disapproval of Captain Krog.

"Norberg, what are you doing here?" the Captain address the lead guardsman pointedly. "You were to keep the Queen safe, _inside_ the castle."

"The _Queen_ gave Sergeant Norberg new orders, Captain," replied Elsa before the guardsman could start.

Captain Krog turned towards Elsa and saluted, his right arm crossing his chest, hand fisted over his heart. Was he grinning?

Elsa turned towards the doors that opened to the courtyard, and now wondered what had become of Olaf. Two of her guardsmen took position ahead of her to clear her way, and the party proceeded.

Once through the doors, the two lead guards took positions on either side of the tall doorway, positioned on a landing atop the short flight of steps that lead to the castle. Catching her breath, Elsa strode forward to address the… angry mob?

It wasn't so much of a mob, just a gathering of about a dozen men, some appearing to be craftsmen and laborers, and other business men. And angry didn't qualify, either. There was no yelling, no chanting of demands. Perhaps disgruntled? And they appeared all the less dangerous given that they seemed to be chatting and laughing with her errant snowman, Olaf.

A few of the men who weren't completely absorbed by the telling of one of Olaf's recent adventures noticed the Queen and called to the others to get their attention. Elsa waited while they made a vain attempt to get organized. But losing her patience, Elsa addressed the men. Time to be the Queen.

"Gentlemen, I have been informed by my guardsmen that you have been the cause of some disorder recently, here in the courtyard. Insisting your desire to address me?"

One man, average height, balding, carrying a bit of extra weight and giving the appearance of an innkeeper, appeared to be about to talk, but Elsa cut him off. "I'm sure you are aware that I now hold an open court every Tuesday afternoon, where anyone may come to address me or request adjudication. So what is _so_ important that it could not wait a few days?"

The first man, the one who had tried to talk, turned to the man next to him and gave him nudge. The second man, tall and dark-haired, dressed a bit more finely, perhaps a banker, gave the innkeeper and annoyed look, then turned back to Elsa. "Our businesses, Your Majesty! You and your magic have hurt our businesses. Supplies are low because of the freeze and are more expensive. And some of our shipping contracts have been broken because we can't trade with Wesselton anymore. Um, and the ice damaged the roof of his inn," he seemed to conclude, pointing back to the first man, verifying Elsa's deduction.

The rest of the crowd seemed content to just mutter their support for the speaker but lacked the mettle to actual speak up.

"And was the Reconciliation Commission not able to address your concerns sufficiently?" asked Elsa of the meager coterie.

"The Reconcill—" the man started to repeat back, confusedly.

"…Reconciliation Commission. I have instructed Trade Minister Skarsgård and Finance Minister Vogt to establish an office where you can go to address any financial concerns you may have due to—" Elsa swallowed, steadying herself, since it still wasn't easy dealing with it, "—due to the events that followed the coronation." She took a deeper breath and continued, "If you incurred any damage due to the ice and snow, you can make a claim for your loss. If your supply chain or export market has been disrupted by the Wesselton embargo, Minister Skarsgård and his expert staff will assist in finding alternate buyers and sellers, and will work to expedite the establishment of any new contracts. Leaflets were distributed around the town; I am surprised you were unaware."

As she spoke these final words, one of man's compatriots handed him one of the selfsame leaflets. He looked at it, blinking, a bit stunned, and muttered to himself, "He said she wouldn't pay…"

Elsa crossed her arms, thinking to herself. This situation isn't right. Arendelle businessmen are not this obtuse.

Since the crowd did not have anything further to contribute, and was, in fact, already starting to disperse, Elsa decided to conclude the session. "Gentlemen, I hope the Commission is able to take care of your needs. If not, please come to court this coming Tuesday, and I will see that your concerns are addressed." She turned and strode back into the more calming clime of the castle.

* * *

In the warehouse, Kristoff considered his options.

He should take the papers, go to the castle, and give them to someone who could read them and do something about it, probably Elsa. If he took the papers, Elsa would be able to determine what those people were doing here in Arendelle; however, when they returned, they would realize someone was here and that they had been discovered. They would go into hiding or just leave Arendelle. Which wasn't a bad thing, of course, but Elsa would not be able to discover who they were working for, and what other activities they had planned.

On the other hand, he could simply _leave_ the papers here and hope they didn't realize anyone had been inside the warehouse. He would still go to the castle and tell Elsa about it, but without the papers, they would know a lot less. Elsa would probably send guards or the town watch or soldiers to the warehouse and try to capture the spies. But it would have been useful to have read the papers first to have a better idea what was going on in Arendelle town. There would also be the possibility of the people getting away, papers and all, and so Elsa would be left with nothing, no information, no details, no plans.

It was a tough decision to make, and Kristoff didn't know what to do. He wished there was someone he could ask advice from. He was an ice harvester, a good one; but he wasn't a town watchman or guard or a soldier, so he had never been trained on what to do in a situation like this.

After a few minutes, Kristoff came to a decision, and he hoped it would be the right one. Returning to the table, he carefully flipped though the papers, and selected one. One sheet with the foreign writing, one that appeared to be a letter, and a long one. Hopefully that will contain enough useful information. Also, hopefully, the spies would not notice that this one particular page was missing for some time, or even at all. If he could somehow _duplicate_ the sheet, that would be the best, but Kristoff didn't think he had the time to copy a full sheet, especially a sheet full of words he could not read.

Selection made, Kristoff made his way back to the opened window, slipped back out, made note of their location just to be sure, and headed though the twilight shadowed city to the castle.


	18. Chapter 18 - Dinner Conversation

**Chapter 18 – Dinner Conversation**

In the weeks preceding Elsa's coronation, it seems that it was decided that while it might be acceptable for _Princess_ Elsa, staying in her room most of the time and never being seen by the public, to wear the same old dresses she had been for the last few years over and over, it would not be appropriate for _Queen_ Elsa to have such limited accoutrement. "The Queen is more than just a person," explained Gerda to her newly raised monarch, "She is also a symbol. She represents her kingdom," she continued as she opened the door to the newly appointed room, "As she presents herself to her people and to the representatives of foreign kingdoms, she presents Arendelle as well," she concluded, pulling open the blinds, allowing the afternoon sunlight to illuminate the space.

Elsa had been rather surprised that she hadn't noticed the work, given that the room was right next to her own. What had formerly been simply another bedroom, similar in size to Elsa's, but unused for, perhaps, forty years, was now a beautifully appointed dressing room. There were six separate wardrobes along the walls, a few of which had their doors hanging open, presenting their contents. "Dresses, "explained Gerda, "suitable for the Queen of Arendelle."

And the dresses _were_ beautiful. They had varied in style and color, but they all seems to proclaim, "Behold, the Queen." Elsa had wondered, briefly, how they could have been produced, but then had realized that the measurements from the tailoring of her coronation gown must have also been used for these. Then she had noticed a particular dress, one that looked familiar. It was her mother's. Altered for her own figure, apparently, but it was definitely one of her mother's dresses, one that she had seen her wear only a few times, long ago, before the closing of the gates.

Looking around the room further, Elsa had seen a few chests of drawers for smaller items and jewelry, several full-length mirrors standing in a semi-circle, allowing a full vantage of whatever she was wearing, and two dressing tables with their own mirrors, made of the loveliest Arendelle pine. Wait, two?

Glancing around, Elsa had now noticed that the wardrobes were arranged in two groupings, half along each of the opposite walls. Elsa had been about to ask, but Gerda had seen that Elsa had noticed and jumped in, "It was originally designed to be just yours. There are even plans to add a door there," she had said, waving a hand towards what had been a disconcertedly empty space along one wall, "to connect to your room. But after what had happened after your coronation…" she trailed off a bit, not needing to say exactly what had happened, "and your reconciliation with Princess Anna since," she continued, her words catching a bit and her eyes gaining a hint of a gloss, tears perhaps, "we thought you might like to share it with her."

Now, almost two weeks later, Elsa and Anna were together in _their_ dressing room, getting ready for the City Dinner. The blinds were drawn open, letting in the long day's late afternoon sun. But there was no worry of spying eyes; the angle of the window was such that only the birds might glimpse the two women in their undergarments.

"How about this one?" called out Anna, spinning around while holding up her latest selection, now numbering nine, if Elsa had counted right.

Elsa, sitting at her dressing table, clad in the new dressing gown that Anna had acquired for her a few days ago, turned to see. "Anna, it's lovely. Just like all the others you've looked at."

"I know, right?" chirped Anna, "They're _all_ so beautiful. But this is our first real dinner party. With you as queen and us together! Okay, there was the coronation party, but that went all _Whoa_," she said, waving her hands in front of herself to make her point, "so that doesn't count. _This_ is our first party. So I got to pick just the right one!" And making her point, she pulled out dress number ten.

"I like this one," Anna declared. "It's like the one I wore on coronation day, but this one has sleeves. And the bodice cuts in and up to give me a little more _oomph_ up here," she said, holding the dress up to her body and pushing her bosom up to make her point.

"Anna!" Elsa called out, shocked.

"What?" responded Anna, letting the dress flop down over her arms. "We're sisters and we can talk about women stuff, right?"

"I, uh, guess so, yes," Elsa replied, turning back towards her dressing table to hide her blushing.

"And besides, you have enough _oomph_ for the both of us, and a little _oh yeah_ to go with it," Anna sassed, swinging her hips as she walked across the dressing room, grinning.

Elsa spun back around, "Anna!" her face now a deepening red.

"Hey, we've all seen you in that ice dress of yours. Everyone in town was looking at you, and it wasn't just to hear your views on taxes and foreign policy. You're smart and clever and you care about people _and_ you look beautiful. Nothing wrong with that."

Elsa smiled back at Anna, "And you look beautifuller."

Smiling back, Anna turned back towards her wardrobes, pulling out dress number eleven, then stopped. "Hey, whatever did happen to my coronation dress, anyway?" she wondered aloud. "It's probably still up at Oaken's! He better not have sold it, or else I'll…"

* * *

Karl Lugdahl stood in courtyard of Arendelle Castle, the light drizzle from the warm summer evening moistening his dark hair and topcoat. The line of guests was moving quickly, though, and he would soon be out of the rain and inside, attending the new Queen's first City Dinner.

Technically speaking, he wasn't actually invited. The City Dinner was a formal occasion where the royal family invited important and interesting people from Arendelle town, leading businessmen, guild-masters, community leaders, town priests, and the Lord Mayor, of course. Arendelle, being a small kingdom, did not have an aristocracy. No Dukes or Counts, just a royal family, King, Queen, Princes, and Princesses. Everyone one else was commoner. But given the kingdom's small size, the royal family was not seen as distant and separate, at least not normally; the recent thirteen years of closed gates were an exception. Normally, the royal family of Arendelle was approachable and considered themselves closely tied to their people. They had even been known to marry Arendelle commoners on occasion, rather than other royals.

Karl himself, being only twenty-five years old, had only distant memories of once meeting King Agdar and Queen Idun when he was a child, when they had come to tour his father's factory. However, since the closing of the gates, very few people had seen the royals, up until when the King and Queen were lost at sea, and no one had seen either princess in the following three years. The coronation was the first chance anyone had had to see the reclusive residents of the castle. However, the newly raised queen and her sister, in the last two weeks had now been regularly seen in the town and in the castle courtyard's marketplace, though Karl himself had not had the opportunity to meet either in that time.

It was, actually, his father, Magnar Lugdahl, who was invited to the City Dinner, as he was head of the family, and their family created the finest furniture in Arendelle or in any kingdom south of Oslo. But father was not well, suffering from an illness for the last several months leaving him quite weak. So his mother said that he should go, using their invitation. _Meet the Queen_, mother had said.

Originally, Karl had decided to attend and if he _did_ met the Queen, he would use the opportunity to express his disappointment to her that one of her first acts as monarch was to nearly ruin his family's business. That was his impression as recently as this morning, but now his feelings were much mollified. The clerk he had spoken to at the docks had referred him to the Reconciliation Commission. He had already known about the commission, of course, but was of the understanding that it was to take care of claims of loss, damage to buildings, or lost crops or livestock, etc., but it seems that they were also attempting to arrange replacement contracts where existing ones had been disrupted. And he had been quite impressed by the results. While their contract with the shipping company _Vagn-Ventzel_ was now void due to their no longer servicing the port of Arendelle, _Ventzel's_ strongest competitor, _Hadron-Dalla,_ was eagerly acquiring their competitor's former customers. It seems that, unlike _Ventzel_ which had chosen to cut ties with Arendelle due to their relationship with Wesselton, _Hadron_ had elected to further firm up their relationship with Arendelle, dismissing any of their ships' registration with Wesseton, and taking up that of Arendelle instead. While there would be a delay before Lugdahl's supplies would resume delivery, his costs would be actually now be slightly less.

All said, the end result was an improvement. So now, for quite different reasons, he was quite eager to meet his new Queen.

* * *

Anna sat of the head table in the great dining hall of Arendelle castle, just to the right of her sister, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. Opposite Elsa sat the Lord Mayor of Arendelle town, of course, being that it was the City Dinner. Elsa was standing, giving a speech… a rather _boring_ speech.

"…to maintain the opportunities made available to us by…"

Dinner was really good, Anna thought, especially considering how much work it was to prepare and serve it. The castle kitchen staff wasn't really prepared for this kind of dinner party, with so many people and so many dishes.

"…each and every one of you, regardless of station or position, can endeavor to…"

Arendelle castle's head chef, Eyvind Hellstrøm, was of great renown, had been a prize for many restaurants and royal courts to have been able to engage him. At one time, he even ran a culinary school out of Oslo, nicknamed _Hellstrøm's Kitchen_.

"…for any client. Arendelle prides itself in its ability to…"

But that was years ago. One dark night, Chef Hellstrøm was attacked outside his famed restaurant, _Deiligfisk_. The attackers got away and were never identified; many suspected that they had been hired by a competing restaurant or rival chef whom Hellstrøm had crossed cutting knifes. The great chef had survived, but only barely. Taking over a year to recuperate as well as he could, there were some injuries that would never heal. He would now walk with a cane, and be stricken with bouts of dizziness. This, unfortunately, meant he would no longer be able to lead the fast-paced environment of a major kitchen. He continued to teach in his school for some years, for he was still considered a brilliant chef, but it was not enough for him.

"…Petersburg, Johansen, and Hinzmann. I would also like to recognize the women of…"

And so it was in Arendelle, six years ago, that the great chef found his new home. A royal court requires a chef, but with the gates closed, there was little for any of the great chefs to do. There was the family to cook for, but without any visitors, balls, or dinner parties, not much else to do. And this, it seems, would serve Chef Hellstrøm. Here in Arendelle, without the strains of a major kitchen to run, or large staff to manage, he could focus on his art.

"…snakes. But also, if you looked hard enough, mushrooms growing along it side…"

And so, for the next six years, Chef Hellstrøm prepared meals for the small royal family of the Kingdom of Arendelle. A strange family, it seemed, with the Crown Princess always taking her meal separately, in her rooms, or sometimes in the library. But it served him well enough. During the years, he had trained several sous-chefs who had since moved on to successful careers, as having been trained by the great Chef Hellstrøm was still a great degree.

"…apples and bananas. But if you cannot find them, you must go on a quest…"

His duties became that much less after the loss of the King and Queen, and so he dedicated himself to recreating a recipe for the most exquisite lutefisk that he had once tasted, a gift jokingly passed from person to person until it had come to him.

"…miney moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers let him go, eenie, meenie…"

But now the Queen had opened the gates. And with only a week's warning, a great dinner party was to be held. He didn't have the staff, the kitchens were not equipped, and all the meats, vegetables, and spices would not be acquired in time. It was impossible! But such words would never have deterred the great Chef Hellstrøm in the past, and it would not now, even if it killed him. And so with a great whirlwind, he ransacked the restaurants, inns, and public houses of Arendelle town for their servers and cooks, who would, for one night, serve under the great Chef Hellstrøm, a night they would never forget, serving the great people of their own Arendelle town, including some of their own regular employers.

"…and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves…"

And what a success it was. A full five course meal, all prepared and served on time, all delicious and to be remembered for years to come. And topping it all was, of course, the…

"Tomato Soup!" Anna suddenly called out, standing and grabbing her sister's arm.

The audience chuckled a bit at the interruption. Elsa turned to Anna and whispered, "Anna, I'm in the middle of my speech."

"Ugh, I know," Anna whispered back, letting go of Elsa's arm. "I think they've had enough, don't you? Look at them."

Elsa turned back to her dinner guests. A few looked back, expectantly, but the rest…

"My most forthright advisor has informed me that I have carried on a bit longer than I should. So, acting on her advice, I thank you for your attendance and your forbearance. And to conclude the formal part of the evening, I present to you the combined efforts of Arendelle's ice harvesters, dairy farmers, and our wonderful kitchen staff, along with a touch from yours truly, Princess Anna's special selection for dessert."

Taking their cue, the servers emerged from the kitchens with their trays, loaded with sparkling glass dishes of chocolate ice cream.

Barely able to contain her excitement, Anna grabbed Elsa again to give her a quick hug. "This is all so wonderful! Do the magic!"

The Snow Queen herself couldn't help but feel the warmth inside, whether it be from Anna's love, her people's acceptance, or maybe just the ice cream. Turning back towards the expanse of the dining hall, Elsa spun her hands, gathering the very essence of winter to counter the late summer's warmth, and launched it to the rafters, where upon it burst into a scintillating shower of snowflakes.


	19. Chapter 19 - Frozen Fractals

**Chapter 19 – Frozen Fractals**

Once the formal dinner had concluded, the attendees of the City Dinner moved across the way into the Ballroom, where they could enjoy further desserts, drinks, and conversation. Elsa didn't mind the dinner, in fact, she rather enjoyed it. It was structured and everything happened when it was supposed to, which she appreciated. Even the occasional unexpected Anna-interruption could be handled. However the more unstructured general gathering that followed, she didn't particularly like. It was either meaningless small talk, or people actually trying to engage in court business. It was more Anna's element. Anna was always far more social, outgoing, and, of course, talkative. Given a choice, Elsa would far prefer a quiet evening with a good book. But such gatherings are now one of her duties, and she had to "Queen up!" as Anna had put it earlier.

And so it went. Shortly into the second phase, Anna had an audience of a dozen or so in rapt attention as she animatedly explained her views on men's fashion, ice cream flavors, and post-enlightenment political philosophy. Elsa herself found herself chatting with Herman and Olga Trondstein, the owners of one of the better inns located along the town square.

"Yes, I agree, now that the gates are open, there should be greater diplomatic traffic to Arendelle… yes, I think the Harvest Festival will be lovely and should draw visitors from across the seas… oh, I was not aware of that, I'll pass word along to the Lord Mayor… Thank you, and I hope business is good for you, too."

Extricating herself from that conversation, Elsa moved quickly, avoiding the incoming "Lord" Stephenson, the largest used carriage salesman in Arendelle, smoothly gliding up to a castle guard who expectantly became her improvised escort, and made her way to the refreshments table. She had certainly had enough good food for the evening, but some fine wine would go well to finishing it off.

After receiving her drink, she turned and found herself next to Åse Kleveland, grandmother, venerable council-woman, and apparent royal confidant.

"A lovely engagement, isn't it, Your Majesty," Kleveland offered. "My compliments to Chef Hellstrøm. He has outdone himself."

"Yes, indeed. Quite a success." Elsa replied, smiling politely.

Kleveland gave Elsa and inspecting gaze. "Now, now, you don't have to pretend with me. I can see that you're just a hair's breadth from slipping out the back door and barricading yourself in the library."

Elsa sighed deeply. "It's not as bad as that."

"No, of course not, I was exaggerating. Your father was like that as well. He preferred his solitude. But Yorril taught him his duties well, if harshly, and Agdar had years to practice his social skills before taking the crown. You have it a great deal tougher, my dear, with losing your father so early and all those unfortunate years of isolation." She patted Elsa on the arm, comfortingly, "I commend you on your bravery."

"Now, _that_ one," she continued, raising her own glass in Anna's direction, "is a natural. Just draws people to her like whirlpool. Best not to let that go to waste. Train her right and let her use that magnetism and she'll do great things for Arendelle, much more than she ever would by marrying her off to some inbred prince."

Elsa stood agape at the woman's plain talk. But upon thinking about it for a minute, Elsa could see she had the right of it. She would need to consider matters more deeply and talk to Anna about a few ideas that had just come to her.

After a few more blessed minutes of quiet, Lady Kleveland spoke up again, "Well, I've kept the jackals away long enough, so time for you to return to duty, Your Majesty." Smiling, she gently tugged Elsa back into the crowd, "Come, come. Let me introduce you to Master Ulrikson, keeper of the city archives. I think you and he might have some interests in common…"

* * *

In his haste, Kristoff managed to get himself lost a few times down in the dock district of the city. But eventually, he was able to find his way to Tinker's Lane, and he knew that would lead him to South Boulevard, which connected to the town square. And from there, it was a direct run to the castle.

While it was still summer, with the northern latitude's long days and short nights, the sun would set behind the mountains to the west, leaving the city dark earlier than it would otherwise. And so, it was well past twilight when Kristoff arrived in the castle courtyard.

As he approached the castle proper, he slowed, noticing that things looked a little different. The shops were closed, but that wasn't it, most shops closed when sun set; but a few stayed open, lighting torches and braziers in order to keep operating. But even those were closed. Add to that, a wide approach to the castle was being kept clear by two velvet ropes. And finally, there were the guards at the door, dressed in their finest formal uniforms.

He approached the doors, stopping by the guards. The one on the right, Nickelson, if Kristoff remembered right, nodded and acknowledged him, "Master Bjorgman." The guard didn't block his way, though. And there was no reason to. The castle staff knew who he was. And, of course, he was _living here_. For now anyway. He still had trouble accepting that (though Sven certainly didn't seem to have any trouble accepting the royal stables.)

"Um, Nickelson, right?" Kristoff started. The guard nodded. "I need to see the Queen."

"Her Majesty, the Queen, is currently hosting the City Dinner."

Of course! Kristoff had gotten himself so wrapped up in chasing these people around the town that he forgot about the big dinner. That's what he brought in all the ice for yesterday. "How about Princess Anna?—no, she'll be at the dinner, too." Nickelson just nodded.

Then it came to him. The four people from the warehouse were very well dressed, like they were going somewhere fancy, _like the City Dinner_! If they were here, they might be planning to do something to Elsa and Anna.

Kristoff turned back to Nickelson and demanded, "I need to see Captain Krog, now. It's a matter of kingdom security."

* * *

_What is that doing there?_

Elsa had started the latter part of the evening along the north wall of the Ballroom, near the entrance, where she and Anna briefly greeted each guest, thanking them for attending, and the like. Once that had been completed, Anna had moved on to socializing amongst the crowd, as she is wont to do. Elsa, meanwhile continued to lurk along the edge of the room, interacting with people as they approached her, but not actively seeking anyone out. Working her way around the room, she had gotten to the refreshments and spent some time there, talking with the ever-so-blunt Åse Kleveland. And finally she had worked her way around to the south wall, opposite from where she had started, where she unexpectedly found it.

It could be described as a triptych, but much larger. Three panels, each measuring four feet wide and towering at eight feet tall, stood with their corners nearly meeting, angled to form a concave arc, the center panel containing an archway that one could easily pass through. On their surfaces, they displayed the most intricate patterns, snowflakes and crystalline shapes bannered across the top, vines and flowers spiraling and interlacing beneath, a river curving and flowing along the base of all three panels.

And they were made of ice. Solid, cold, unmelting, magical ice.

And not far away was a table, where stood additional ice sculptures of a cat in mid-stride, and a bird, about to take flight.

And they were hers.

It was just the night before, with Kristoff in the library, enjoying some wine. He had dared her or something, she couldn't quite recall the details. She had been enjoying a good bit of wine.

But why were they here? Someone must have decided they would make an interesting conversation piece for the reception. And that did seem to prove true. People in the crowd were approaching the ice creations, looking them over, commenting. In fact, Elsa did the same, approaching the three panels and giving them closer look.

As she approached the archway, she could see the magic. The particles seems flow around it, like a stream, those closer to the ice diving into the structure and out again, returning to the circulating river of magic. Placing her hand flat on the ice, she could feel the cold, but also more. She could feel the circulation flowing not just around the ice, but now through her as well, sparking an awareness of her magic within her. Flowing though her, she felt that it would require only her desire, her will, to reshape the flow, guide it, direct it, and use it. She could draw it within her, pulling it in and storing it, letting it build until she was ready, and then release it, exercising her domain upon reality, summoning the very essence of winter itself, and—

"It is quite a beautiful piece of work, Your Majesty."

Startled out of her contemplation, Elsa turned to see her interlocutor. The speaker was a man, likely in his late fifties or early sixties judging from his white hair and weathered features, a pair of spectacles resting on his sharp nose. He was about Elsa's height, but may have actually been taller, because he leaned on a cane. His suit, while formal, didn't fit quite right and had the impression that it had not been worn in many years.

"Thank you, Mister…?"

"Ångström. Professor Knut Ångström of the Arendelle Academy," replied the man, bowing, leaning on his cane for balance. "An honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty."

The Arendelle Academy was a school of higher education based in the town. Arendelle was too small of a kingdom to merit a full college or university, and thus those desiring an advanced degree would attend a school in Oslo, or perhaps Copenhagen. But for a less prestigious degree, or preparing for a vocation requiring formal training, the Arendelle Academy was the school of choice. During her later teenage years, King Agdar would occasionally hire a tutor from the Academy to assist in Elsa's education in areas where he was not as proficient, such as advanced mathematics. And while Professor Ångström was never one of those tutors, Elsa did recognize his name.

"And it is good to meet you as well, Professor," Elsa replied. "I hope you have enjoyed the evening."

"Oh yes, quite nice. Haven't had such a good meal in years…" The man seemed to drift off in thought for a moment, but then snapped back to attention. "This is your work, Your Majesty? Using your magic?"

Elsa nodded, "It is."

"A beautiful piece of work…" he repeated as he closed upon one of the large panels, adjusting his glasses for a more precise inspection. "…and such delicate details." Turning back to Elsa, he queried, "This must have taken some time. A project you worked on in secret, before your abilities became known?"

"Actually, no. I made them yesterday."

"Yesterday!" Ångström exclaimed, drawing a few looks. "That's marvelous. To produce something like this in only a matter of hours. Your powers appear to have great efficacy."

Elsa felt a bit uncomfortable. The Professor had assumed her powers had reduced the effort from many days to just hours, while in fact, it only took her, perhaps, a minute to create the ice portico. Maybe less.

"Professor, what is it you teach at the Academy?" she inquired, somewhat nervously.

"Oh, a little of everything, these days, Your Majesty," he replied. Removing his glasses, he proceeded to clean the lenses with a cloth he pulled from a jacket pocket. "Primarily physics and mathematics, a bit of architecture, chemistry, and geology when needed. Sometimes even accounting, though my eyesight isn't quite good enough anymore for the actual practice, just the instruction."

Replacing his glasses, Professor Ångström stepped over to examine the other two figures, the cat and the bird. "Such detail. It is almost as if the fur ripples and flows and the cat moves. You have studied sculpture? Did you plan this out, make sketches before…" he waved his hand around a bit, searching for the right word, "_creating_ this?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. I have never pursued sculpture, and the only thing I have drawn were something like building plans, but nothing serious."

"Indeed?" the professor raised an eyebrow, "No forward planning. You just willed it and it came into being. Is that right?"

Hesitantly, unsure of Ångström point, Elsa quietly responded, "Yes."

Ångström continued, "And I have heard that you erected a towering palace of ice up on the North Mountain—" Elsa nodded, "—and also, no planning?"

Elsa raised her chin and spoke up in her own defense, "I have made some study of the castles and cathedrals in the Scandian Peninsula and across Europa, so I had some idea what I was doing—"

Ångström quickly countered, "But how much time would an architect need to plan such a castle, even if made of mundane stone and timber? Months? Perhaps years, yes?"

Elsa tacitly nodded, her awareness growing regarding his assertion. Meanwhile, a small crowd had gathered, drawn by the excited debate.

"Perhaps we could conduct an experiment, Your Majesty. Right here, if you are willing?"

"What do you suggest?"

"We will decide on a subject, something you can make with your ice, but one that has significant complexity, something that, while you may know the basics, it would be impossible for you to have all the fine details at hand."

Ångström removed his glasses again, tapping them against his chin as he contemplated. After a few moments, he leapt into action, defying his apparent age and limp. He approached a nearby table that until recently had hosted several trays of dessert pastries, but had been mostly cleared by the serving staff. After a quick word with one servant, and a hand waved towards the Queen, the table was quickly emptied, including the tablecloth. Turning back towards Elsa, and the surrounding crowd, he tapped the table lightly with his cane.

"Your Majesty, if you would be so kind, my suggestion is this: In keeping with the theme of this evening, using your arcane powers of ice and snow, create upon this table a scale model of Arendelle town, the castle, and the surrounding fjord." He then bowed, leaning upon his cane, and stepped aside.

Elsa stepped up to the table. Professor Ångström had certainly made a good selection. Given her only recently ended term of isolation, her familiarity with the castle was limited, including only her room, the library, and a few meeting chambers. She had little knowledge beyond those boundaries except for what she had experienced in the last two weeks. It was barely enough time to be consider it _aware_, much less _familiar_, and certainly far from _expert_.

She could feel the cold upon her fingers as she drew upon her power. The air around her chilled, the breath of those nearby becoming visible as they exhaled. Focusing, she allowed her vision to extend from the physical realm into the mystical, and she gazed upon the great sea of arcane energy before her. While the summer heat steeped the kingdom outside, for her it was winter. For Elsa, it was always winter. Elsa _was_ winter.

With a flourish, she waved her arms, drew upon the power, and poured it towards the target. Around the table, a snowstorm swirled. And upon the surface there materialized what appeared to be a body of water, but of was in fact, cold, dark blue ice. Elsa concentrated, twisted her hands, and icy land appeared, a sliver on one side of the table and a large expanse on the other, defining the fjord between. Another gesture, and mountains rose across one side, growing like great crashing glaciers. Now with an articulation of her fingers, there arose the buildings, homes, offices, factories and warehouses. Roads and avenues weaved across the panorama, an open square situated in the middle, a great clock-tower rising along it side. And then a great sweeping gesture summoned the Royal Castle of Arendelle itself, its walls and causeway rising from the icy sea, the roof folding over as if part of an intricate clockwork. And then with a final sweep, she drew the circulating storm up, compressed it momentarily, and then released it, creating a brief mist of snow that drifted down, giving the model city the appearance of a few friendly inches of accumulation, quite mild by Arendelle standards.

The silence of the crowd, now essentially the entire party, held for perhaps five seconds before being broken by the exclamation, "That was amazing!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

\- When I develop new characters for my fic, I try to use a name of actual Norwegian origin, preferably one connected to the character I'm creating. For the members of the Queen's Council, I browsed through wikipedia for members of the Norwegian cabinet through history. And there really is a Norwegian chef named Eyvind Hellstrøm, and once I saw his name, the whole Hellstrøm's Kitchen bit wrote itself. And the real Chef Hellstrøm has starred in a number of the Norwegian versions of Gordon Ramsay's shows. So, I image Arendelle's Hellstrøm is a cross between Ramsay and the Muppet's Swedish Chef. :)

\- Those who were confused by what was going on with Elsa's speech during the dinner, the way it started normal and slowly went weird, it was what Anna was hearing, bored, as she slipped into a half-sleeping half-awake hypnagogic state.


	20. Chapter 20 - This Icy Force

**Chapter 20 – This Icy Force**

Kristoff quietly entered the ballroom and started looking around the crowd. The jacket Captain Krog had given him was stiff and scratchy, but Kristoff had to agree that barging into the Ballroom in his ice harvesting gear, even his _good_ ice harvesting gear, would draw attention he didn't want. It had taken a little bit to find a jacket large enough to fit him, and they couldn't find any appropriately sized uniform trousers, but it would be good enough for his purpose, and if what he suspected was true, there was little time to waste.

Krog entered shortly after Kristoff and waved over several of his guardsmen stationed near the Ballroom entrance. Upon returning to the castle, Kristoff had gone to the Captain and told him what he had seen and what he had found. While Captain Krog couldn't read the letter that Kristoff had liberated any better than Kristoff could, it was evidence that he wasn't making up stories. Kristoff had also given a description of the man he had been following as well as told what he could to describe the other three, though since he had never gotten close to them, it was sketchy and he would have to depend on his own eyes and memory.

Kristoff had never been to a ball, reception, or anything even vaguely similar, of course. He wasn't royalty or nobility, and the parties thrown by ice harvesters tended to be a good bit less refined. But the decorations were certainly a lot fancier here, and he could imagine that the food and drinks were better as well. From what had been described to him, at a ball or reception, people would be walking around the room and talking, maybe dancing. And so he didn't understand why everyone was all crowded up in the far side of the room.

* * *

"That was amazing!"

Anna, jumped out of the crowd, gave Elsa a quick hug from behind around her shoulders, then quickly approached the table. The crowd, its silence now disrupted, broke into a light and brief applause.

"There's the square, and that's where we had lunch the other day, they have great pickles to go with their sandwiches, and there's the _chocolate_ _shop_ that we went to after! Oh, and there's the library. And over here are the stores and the dress shops! And the castle looks fantastic…" She crouched down on one side of the table, closing one eye and holding out one hand, thumb up, creating a sight-line. "I can even see the entrance to fjord from the roof, just like the real thing!" Anna stood back up and turned to her sister, clutching her hands in front of herself and cried out, "Elsa, this is great!" forgetting all formality in her excitement.

Professor Ångström, glasses back on his face, peered down upon the new tableau. "Yes, yes. This is a beautiful piece of work. Amazing level of detail, Your Majesty. The Princess certainly approves. Shall we apply a more rigorous test?" Peering across the crowd, he raised his eyebrows in discovery. "Ah, Lord Mayor. Perhaps you could give Her Majesty's diorama some additional scrutiny?"

The Lord Mayor, Pitar Svarnhalt, was a small man, with brownish-red hair and a similarly colored van-dyke beard, often giving people the impression of a fox. As the guest of honor for this evening's festivities, he was dressed in what appeared to be a fine, newly-tailored suit, complete with his unofficial cape of office. The mayoralty was an appointed position, at the will of the king or queen, so there was no _official_ title, just as there were no other official titles of nobility in Arendelle outside the royal family itself. But this particular mayor liked to make a grand show of things, and there was no chance he would be able to resist making a great spectacle out of _his_ dinner. Still, in his years in office, he had also proven himself a more-than-competent administrator, and so Elsa had no intention of replacing him any time soon.

With a sweep of the aforementioned cape, Mayor Svarnhalt approached the table, between the Queen and Princess. "Thank you Professor Ångström, Your Majesty, Your Highness." Leaning over, he made a show of inspecting the ice sculpture. "Main Street, yes, crossing High Street, yes, Port Street down here, very good, Kastellveien and Skytebaneveien crossing, good, and Lykkensborgveien and Strømsbuveien on either side of the city, excellent. The Town Square… Trondstein, Arhaus, and Haverty's, all three inns are there, Trommestadtunet and Lindvedske Hus restaurants, good. The City Hall," looking more closely, "looks quite accurate." Standing up, he turned to the professor, "in fact, there is one window that was broken only a few days ago, and has been boarded up until it can be replaced. Her Majesty has even captured that detail."

Ångström turned back towards Elsa. "Your Majesty, have you been to the City Hall recently?"

Elsa shook her head, "No, I have never been there."

"And the streets, have you travelled them?"

Another shake of her head, "Only a few."

"The inns and the restaurants?"

"One of them, a restaurant. That is all."

Since there did not seem to be any additional spectacles or displays of magic, the crowd began talking amongst themselves, the noise level rising back towards normal. People started milling about again, no longer distracted.

In contrast to the rest of the populace, Ångström continued his focused interrogation. "While you were creating this model, did the knowledge of the city, the roads and buildings, did the knowledge come to you in some way?"

Elsa wasn't sure. She tried to recollect what was going through her mind as she wielded her power only a few minutes ago. Anna stepped over and took one of Elsa's hands in hers in support.

"I don't think so," Elsa finally concluded. "I thought things like 'make the fjord', and 'put down the roads.' But not the specifics."

Ångström stepped closer to Elsa and Anna, since talking to them over the renewed noise of the crowd was now proving difficult.

"Interesting, interesting. But the information was there, with your magic, or you could not have created this," the Professor waved his hand across the frozen tableau. "If _you_ did not have the detailed knowledge of the city, and _you_ did not design and sketch-up a model of the city… then that suggests that someone, or _something_, else did."

Elsa squeezed Anna hand, feeling a bit disturbed by what the man was suggesting. Something was controlling her magic, something other than her?

"But, whatever it is, it _is_ following your instructions, yes? You directed it to build a model of the city, full of details that you did not yourself possess. You directed it to construct a palace of ice, and it did the design work for you." He glanced back to Elsa, looking for her reaction to his assentation.

Elsa slowly nodded. "Yes, it does what I want, now that I have learned what I needed to be able to control it." Elsa grabbed Anna's hands back with her free hand and gave it a loving squeeze, reminding herself of _exactly_ what it was that now gave her control of her powers.

"So, something is out there. Something that is connected to your magic, and designs things for you, gets the information needed for you. And where is it? Where is this great mind? In the air, in the clouds?"

"I don't know," Elsa confessed. "I hadn't actually realized what I was doing. Making it snow, that's easy. A snowman, a bit more complex, but nothing I couldn't imagine myself."

Elsa took a breath, steeling herself, "But these other things, the city, the cat and bird figures, my palace… I see your point; there must be something out there, helping me. But I have no idea what it might be."

* * *

Kristoff had been milling around the outer edges of the crowd for a minute when the people started moving again, breaking up from whatever was had drawn them in.

Then he saw her, the woman from the warehouse. She was herself glancing around, looking for something, or someone. After a few moments, she pulled back a bit, and starting moving her hands oddly in front of her. Hand-signals! Kristoff looked around desperately to see who she was communicating with, and he saw the man again. The man he had spent the afternoon following.

Suddenly, the signaling stopped, and the two starting moving again, into the crowd. Kristoff panicked. If he found two of them, all four were probably here, and they were definitely trying to do something. Something to hurt Elsa and Anna!

Kristoff looked around and quickly found two guardsmen. Running over to them, he pointed in the direction of the man, who had been moving around the left side of the crowd. The guards, having been given instructions by Captain Krog to work with Kristoff, headed off in that direction, while Kristoff returned to where he had been just a few moments ago, and attempted to follow the woman.

While he was talking to the guardsmen, however, the woman has disappeared into the crowd. Kristoff started pushing his way through the people, trying to find her, receiving a number of outcries and outraged exclamations. But he didn't let that stop him.

Then he saw her. She was acting very casual, as if just having a drink, walking along, enjoying the party. Cautiously, he followed her as she slowly strolled along. A short distance ahead was Anna, talking with a couple other women about her age, waving her hands about. The woman was approaching them, working her way around behind Anna. And that's when Kristoff saw it, the glint of light reflecting off of metal, held low, hidden in the folds of her dress. A dagger. He started to move, but before he could close the distance, he saw the woman quickly pull out the blade and thrust it at her target.

"Anna!"

* * *

Elsa and Professor Ångström continued their discourse. "Your Majesty, " the professor continued, "How about we try once again, but this time, let's see if you notice… the information coming with the magic. Let's see. Yes, have you been inside the clock tower? No? Excellent. Try to create the inner workings of the clock tower over on that table."

Elsa nodded. Turning towards the indicated table, the one already holding the ice statues of the cat and bird, she once again summoned her power, feeling the coolness in her fingers, the magical energy flowing in from around her and into—

Suddenly, she felt a brief sting and burst of extreme cold on her lower back. Very cold, colder than she had ever felt before, even on the peak of the North Mountain. It didn't hurt, but it startled her. She turned to see what was going on.

A man whom she had not noticed was right behind her, falling to his knees. He was crying out in pain, his left hand grasping the wrist of his right hand, still held out, its fingers bents arthritically, blue ice coating them. And on the ground between them lay a broken dagger, the rime covered pommel bearing only the stub of a broken blade, the rest of the metal scattered in shards around their feet.

Elsa reached around and felt along her back where she had felt the sting, and found a tiny cut, boring neatly through the layers of her dress, corset, and undergarments and leaving the merest pin-prick upon her skin. The man had attempted to stab her with the knife, and her power had protected her. Without even consciously willing it, her power had frozen the offending instrument to such a low temperature that the metal itself shattered. The cold didn't bother her, but the same could not be said for the ineffectual assassin, his fingers likely to be lost due to the frostbite.

Realizing that she still held her power, she froze the man's legs to the floor, and was about to summon her guards when she heard a voice call out, "Anna!"

* * *

Anna cried out as she felt the knife slicing across her left forearm. The blade had been intended for her back, but Anna had heard someone yell her name and turned to see who was calling, skewing the blade's trajectory. Grabbing at the wound with her right hand, Anna barely got out of the way of the barreling Kristoff.

Having failed at her attack, the assassin turned and attempted to flee, but immediately got caught up in the startled crowd of spectators. Violently pushing a man over, she tried to make her way towards the exit, but her egress was stymied by Kristoff grabbing her left arm. She tried to wiggle loose, but she could not break free of the ice harvester's grip.

Elsa turned towards the voice and rising commotion a short distance away amidst the crowd of people. Anna was in danger! At a near panic, she pushed her way through the assembly, breaking through into a cleared circle.

There she saw two guards restraining woman, still struggling to free herself. Anna stood nearby, blood leaking through the fingers of her right hand, gripping her left arm. And Kristoff, a knife held backwards in his hand, a growing red stain discoloring the front of his coat.

His eyes starting to glaze, he glanced back and forth between Anna and Elsa, and muttered, "Ice is my life…"

And fell to the floor.


	21. Chapter 21 - Power Flurries

**Chapter 21 – Power Flurries**

"Kristoff!"

Elsa was shocked to discover that is was she who yelled his name, not Anna. Shaken, she started to step forward, but found her way blocked by the guards.

The room was in a panic, some guests yelling and running, others too stunned to move. Guards were everywhere now, two standing to either side of her, swords drawn, looking everywhere around them. The same around Anna. Captain Krog was yelling commands to his guards. The castle was to be locked-down, no one is too leave.

Two more guards rapidly entered the ballroom, leading another man with them. He was well dressed with a long coat, carrying an odd looking bag, and wearing an armband with the emblem of the castle guard, the shield and crocus. Felix Morgannson, born in Arendelle, the child of shopkeepers, enlisted in the Arendelle Navy the age of sixteen. There, he learned the basics of field medicine and, after six years of service, mustered out to earn his medical degree. After an additional four years in Oslo, he returned to Arendelle, and the Navy, where he served as a medical officer for the next twelve. Now, retired from the Navy, he maintained a private practice in Arendelle town as well as serving as the Castle Guard's medic. Since there was going to be a great number of people in the castle this night, Doctor Morgannson had taken station in Captain Krog's office, to be on call for any medical issues that might arise during the evening. As such, he had already seen two people, a man who had accidentally cut himself with his dinner knife, and a woman who had fainted due to an overly tightened corset.

Seeing her first, Morgannson rushed over to Princess Anna, to treat her cut arm, but she pushed him away. "You have to help Kristoff!" Quickly handing some rolled bandages to one of the Princess' guards and telling him to bind her arm and that he would treat he properly soon enough, he then turned to the fallen ice harvester, now laying on his back on the floor, his head cushioned with someone's folded coat.

As the woman being held by the guard was taken away, Captain Krog approached Elsa. "Your Majesty, are you well?" She nodded, the Guard Captain's attention drawing her out of her daze. "I'm fine." _My power protected me_, she thought to herself, absently feeling at the small cut in her dress. "What is the situation? Was anyone else hurt?"

"We are attempting to collect the guests and get them settled. There appears to have been four infiltrators, spies, who managed to gain access to the party. We have two in custody, but I just got a report that two of my men stationed at the castle entrance were attacked, and two men escaped. We are—"

Elsa interrupted, "Are they all right? The guards at the entrance?"

"Minor injuries, they will be fine. They were taken by surprise; these men, and the woman, appear to be professionals, well trained. We are very lucky that no serious harm came to Your Majesty or the Princess." Captain Krog's words became very clipped and stern, angry. "Your man, Master Bjorgman, warned me, but it seems I did not take his warning seriously enough."

"Kristoff warned you?" Elsa asked, surprised.

Krog nodded, "He said he had been following a suspicious man, who led him to a secret lair in the warehouse district. It seemed a fantastic tale, but he brought a document he found there. I have sent a man to work with the City Watch. The escaped men will likely go into hiding, but hopefully we will be able to secure their hideout and recover additional information about their activities."

Elsa looked back at Kristoff, laying on the ground, now quite pale. The doctor had opened Kristoff's borrowed coat and torn his shirt to expose the wound, and appeared to be trying to stop the bleeding. There was a lot of blood. It made her feel ill, so she looked away. Anna was on her knees, one guard holding her up, while another guardsmen attempted to bandage the cut on her arm.

Elsa forced herself to look back at Kristoff. The man who may have just saved their lives. He certainly had just saved Anna's. _Again_. Who was this man, this Kristoff Bjorgman? How had he come into their lives and had such an impact? What had seemed to be a random meeting just two weeks ago, was actually a connection that they had formed thirteen years past. This man who had known her secret this whole time, but instead of judging her, repudiating her, he had instead climbed a mountain through a blizzard, just to make sure she was safe. And when she had pushed Anna away, mortally striking her with her power, it was Kristoff who took her, cared for her, brought her to the trolls and to the castle to save her life. And now, when it was neither his job nor responsibility, he tracked down _assassins_, fought them off, saved our lives. What have we done to deserve this man in our lives.

Doctor Morgannson ceased his efforts, shaking his head sorrowfully. "Noooooo!" Anna cried out and rushed up to the unmoving Kristoff, grabbing his hand. The doctor slowly rose and stepped away, was led to others who, as a result of the panic, now needed his attention.

But only a moment later, there was a commotion by the entrance, and another guardsman appeared, this time escorting a woman, dark hair tied back and in a plain dress. Elsa did not know her, but Anna half rose in excitement. "Alde!" Anna almost screamed, "You have to help Kristoff!" _The healer, of course!_ realized Elsa. The woman moved around the body and kneeled down, placing herself between Elsa and Kristoff's prone form.

The women pressed both of her hands on Kristoff's exposed torso and appeared to concentrate. There was a display of great strain on her face as she attempted her craft. After a minute's effort, she rearranged her hands and rededicated herself to her endeavor. But in the end, it was in vain.

"There's nothing more I can do. I... I could close the wound, but there is a lot of damage inside, more than I can heal. And he has lost so much blood… I am so sorry. He's gone." And she bowed her head, appearing to pray.

But Elsa saw more. She had seen the magic the woman had employed, the power she had channeled in her attempt to heal Kristoff. But it was _so little_. Just a tiny amount pulled from the great sea of magic that surrounded them. And so slow did it move, like pouring honey from a bowl. Such extreme effort for so little effect — Unlike her own power, with which she could summon great torrents of arcane energy to do her snowy will. But what could _she_ do, freeze him? That would not help. But she must do something…

The room grew distinctly colder as Elsa drew a great flow of power to her, took two steps forward and placed her hand upon the healer's shoulder. The woman gasped in shock, turning to see Elsa, ablaze in a fire that only the two of them could perceive. "Goddess," she whispered. Elsa met her eyes, "Help him. Please." Alde Östberg turned back to the body, and again pressed her hands to his bloodied torso. But this time she channeled the power that Elsa fed to her, more power than she had ever used in her entire life combined.

A golden glow arose from the body, initially hard to distinguish from the oil lamp light, but then increasing in magnitude. As its brightness grew, it expanded outwards, swirling around and enveloping the body until it was hard to see.

Then suddenly, Kristoff's eyes sprang open and he flung his arms out wide. Crying out in agony, his back arched as the magical energy coursed through his body. Then as quickly as it had started, it was over, Kristoff falling back to the floor, his eyes closed, his head slumped to the side. But he was breathing, and his stomach bore nothing but a blood stain, the wound sealed.

Elsa drew her hand back and let the power go. It was hard to see Kristoff's chest rise and fall as he breathed, her vision now clouded with tears.

He would live.

* * *

"What do you mean it didn't work!" demanded the Duke.

Avram Bashir calmly explained, "There were unexpected complications. They appeared to have gotten advanced warning, and the Queen's magic seems to be able to protect her even when taken by surprise."

"They were supposed to be getting her people to get rid of her, not doing it themselves unless they had to!"

Bashir nodded. "My agents had been working for several days, meeting with people and attempting to raise their suspicion and dissatisfaction of the Queen and Princess, laying the seed of distrust and a desire for regime change. But apparently, it was not working. My agent in charge reports that the people continued to support the Queen despite the arguments and insinuations, rather vigorously at times, sometimes even putting our agent at risk. After a week's effort to little or no gain, it was decided to move to the second option."

"But you messed that up! Fine, you decided to kill her. I could use that. A power vacuum would be a great opportunity to wrap my tendrils around that little kingdom, like all the others. But no, your men couldn't even get that part right! I'm paying you a small fortune. You are supposed to be the best at this kind of work. And you can't even getting a little assassination done?"

"As I said, there were unexpected complications. Once the situation has been gotten under control, our newfound knowledge will be incorporated into future plans. My organization has a reputation to maintain."

"Bah! Your reputation will be worthless when I am done with you. Get out! I'll find someone else who can do this work better."

"Your Grace, you may want to reconsider. As I explained when we entered this contact, a separation in less than amicable circumstances may not be possible."

"What do you mean?"

"An organization such as ours cannot allow anyone, such as yourself, to spread word about it without care. Especially if such talk might be less than positive."

"How dare you! Are you threatening me? Guards!"

"Your guards will not be responding, Your Grace," Bashir said quietly while slipping on his gloves. "And I do not threaten."

* * *

– **end part 2 –**


	22. Chapter 22 - Awakenings

**Chapter 22 – Awakenings**

Doctor Morgannson found some castle staff to help carry Kristoff's large form back to his room, where the doctor had wanted to check his injuries, now healed, himself. Meanwhile, the guards took the remaining assassin, whom Elsa had to free from his icy restraint, to the dungeons to wait along with his murderous companion.

It had taken over two more hours for the guests to finally leave the castle, as some had requested an escort back to their homes, due to there being two more assassins, spies, or some such about the city. Anna had wanted to go with Doctor Morgannson to Kristoff's room, but Captain Krog had insisted that she remain in a controlled area until the castle was cleared and secured. She had started to argue, but Elsa, with her three whole years of greater maturity, managed to convince her to listen. Besides, she argued, he would probably just be sleeping though the night, recovering. Elsa found it surprising, though, that she actually wanted to go to Kristoff's room as well.

Alde Östberg, the healer, found herself quite exhausted, and needed some time before she was even able to stand, saying her efforts left her quite dizzy. But once standing, Elsa called her over to where she and Anna were stationed, under the guards' now watchful eyes.

"Madam Östberg—," Elsa started to say, but was interrupted by Anna leaping forward and giving the healer a great hug. Smiling, Elsa managed to continue, "Thank you so much for your help. Kristoff has come to mean a great deal to our small family."

Once released from Anna's embrace, Alde managed a curtsy. "Your Majesty, I could never have accomplished what I did without your assistance. I believe we pulled him back from Valhalla itself."

"Huh?" inquired Anna, "What do you mean?"

"He had ceased breathing and his heart had stopped. He was dead. We…" the healer swallowed, feeling the implications of what she was saying. "We brought him back to life." She looked at Elsa, almost reverently, then dropped her gaze, "It is something only the gods can do."

Elsa shook her head. "Perhaps we had Eir's blessing. I am just happy that we were able to save him, for all he has done for us." Elsa took Alde's hands in hers, "Thank you. If there is anything I can do for you, please just ask."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Just being welcomed here in Arendelle is enough. I and my girls, we would be happy enough if we could just find a home, a place where people who need my healing can come."

"I'm sure we can find something for you," Anna responded. "And in the meantime, you stay as long as you need to here in the castle. Temporary-Queen's orders!"

After Alde was escorted back to the rooms she was sharing with her daughters, Elsa and Anna weren't left alone long before their next visitor arrived, Professor Ångström.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," he bowed, leaning on his cane. "Quite an evening. I am glad that you were unharmed."

"Thank you," Elsa responded. "I am sorry our experiment was interrupted."

"By Mimir's Head, but there was so much more to see." He glanced around conspiratorially, then whispered, "I found this." He held out his hand, displaying a fragment of metal. "It's a shard of the knife the man used trying to kill you. Now, I'm no metallurgist, but I know that a knife would have to be chilled to _quite_ a low temperature for this to happen. Another fascinating facet of your power, Your Majesty."

Elsa smiled slightly, "Well, I'm still discovering aspects of it myself."

"Indeed?" Ångström cocked an eyebrow, "It was not intentional? An instant reaction to the attack? Interesting. Oh, and what you did with the other woman, healing that man. A beautiful piece of work. Amazing. I was not aware that there was anyone else in Arendelle with magical talent. It's not my field of study, but I don't suppose it really is _anyone's_ field of study, but I would very much like to speak to her as well. And some more with yourself, of course, Your Majesty."

"I'm sure it can be arranged." Elsa smiled, more fully this time.

And with the professor's departure, Elsa and Anna were finally escorted by a contingent of castle guards back to the residential section of the castle. Still a bit too wound up from the altercation, they decided to go to the library, where a servant had had the foresight to light a fire in the hearth.

"Um, Elsa…" Anna started nervously, once they had gotten comfortable, picking at the bandage wrapping her injured arm, "Is this going to be happening all the time now? People don't like us, so they're trying to hurt us?"

Elsa pulled Anna closer with an arm around her shoulder. "I don't know. I hope not. I'm afraid I made an enemy of Wesselton when I cut off trade. The Duke tried to hurt us economically, but I guess when that didn't work, he sent people to hurt us physically. At least we believe they were sent by Wesselton. We don't know for sure yet. And I haven't heard anything from the Southern Isles since we sent Hans back to them, so I have no idea what they are doing or planning."

"But we also have friends," Elsa continued. "Like Corona and Porsgrunn. And perhaps other kingdoms that have been abused by Wesselton will choose to ally with Arendelle. It's not like the whole world is against us… "

"Are we safe?"

"Yes, we are safe. Captain Krog is quite beside himself, blaming himself for letting the attack happen. He has informed me of his intention to perform a complete security overhaul of the castle. I'm not sure what he means by that, but transitioning from the closed gates to the way it is now in so short a time has been difficult."

Anna chewed on her lip, thinking. "So what do we do now?"

"Now—" Elsa stood up, walked over to the wall and pulled a cord, ringing a bell in the kitchens. "Now we get some tea—" she started, but noticing Anna reaction, amended it, "hot chocolate?" Anna nodded happily, so Elsa continued, "…and talk about all the _good_ things that happened today."

* * *

Kristoff woke up. There was nothing unusual in that, he did it every day. But something was weird about his room. Kristoff blinked a few times, thinking about it and decided it was the light.

Or really the shapes blocking the light. He been sleeping in Arendelle castle for a couple days now, which was weird, but he was starting to get used to waking up there. What he definitely _didn't_ think he would be getting used to was waking up with the royal family sitting in his room.

Elsa and Anna, the Queen and Princess of Arendelle, sitting by the window, talking quietly to each other. In his room. He'd never hear the end of it from Dag now.

"hey," he managed to mutter. It came out a lot softer was more difficult that he thought it should be, but his throat felt like it was full of reindeer fur. He tried to sit up, but found himself too weak to do even that. And there was a pain in his middle, like he had pulled a muscle. What was going on?

"Kristoff!" called out _both_ of the women, noticing that he was awake. They approached his bed, so he tried to sit up again, and again failed.

Elsa put her hand on his shoulder, lightly pressing him back down, not that he could get up anyway. "How are you feeling? The doctor said that you would survive but that it drained you a lot, and you would need to rest for a few days."

_I'd survive?_ Kristoff wondered to himself. _Was I sick?_

"My stomach. It hurts." Kristoff spoke softly.

"Oh!" cried Anna, suddenly very concerned. "I'll go get Doctor Morgannson." And she ran out of the room.

After watching Anna exit the room, bumping a chair over and knocking down a coat from a side table on her way out, Elsa turned back to Kristoff. A light snowfall began as Elsa searched for the right words. But after only a few seconds, it cleared, and Elsa spoke, "Thank you."

_Thank you? For what?_ Kristoff was confused. _Why am I stuck in bed, and so tired?_

"If it wasn't for you, well… You saved Anna. My power saved me, so I guess I would have been fine, but if you hadn't come in when you did, that woman would have gotten to Anna. And then she attacked you trying to get away, and you were so hurt…"

_Hurt? What?_ Then the memories came flooding back. Following the man through the city, searching the hide-out, rushing back to the castle, searching through the people in the ballroom, chasing after the woman who was after Anna, and… the pain in his stomach suddenly became sharp again as he remembered. _Getting stabbed trying to stop her._

Pushing aside the covers, he quickly pulled up his shirt to see his stomach. But it was fine. No wound, no scar. Nothing but his normal skin and muscles beneath. The pain faded away.

"She stabbed me… how?" Kristoff whispered.

"A woman came to Arendelle, just two days ago. A healer. Not just herbs and chicken soup, but actual magic. She's staying here in the castle, and her daughters, just down the hall, actually. So when Doctor Morgannson couldn't do anything, a guard brought her over. And she was able to heal you… um, with my help, I guess."

Kristoff could remember it now, getting stabbed. It didn't hurt at first, he was just surprised. There it was, just sticking out of his stomach. The handle was right there, so he grabbed it and pulled it out. _That_ _hurt_, he remembered. His felt dizzy and his legs got all weak. He remembered seeing Anna and Elsa, but not much else. Then it went dark, and… nothing.

He should have died. Kristoff had been working the ice for long enough to have seen accidents, and some fights, and he knew that a stab in the gut kills. A bit to the side, and there was a chance, but right in the middle like that, that's it. Dead.

But here he was, lying in bed, alive, and no sign of the wound. Magic. _And the Queen of Arendelle taking care of me?_ Maybe he _had_ died…

Kristoff's musings were interrupted by a crashing sound by the door, which he now recognized as Anna's signature entrance. The collision of a knocked-over chair, a princess, and a coat, now strewn across the floor, gave the good doctor pause as to whom he should first attend, but with reassuring wave from the now fallen princess, he proceeded to his primary patient located in the bed.

Doctor Morgannson bowed to Elsa, "Your Majesty, would you mind if I examined your patient?"

Elsa shook her head dismissively, "Your patient, sir. I wouldn't presume to infringe on your domain."

"I don't know about that," he countered. "You seem to have served him much better than I."

Again, Elsa shook her head. "That wasn't me. I just helped."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

He then turned to Kristoff, "I was told that you were experiencing a pain in your stomach. May I see?"

Kristoff attempted to shrug, but failing due to the pillows and blankets, instead spoke, "Well, I did, but it's gone now." But he pulled his shirt up anyway for the doctor to see.

Doctor Morgannson pressed on Kristoff's stomach in a few locations. "Does this hurt?"

"No," replied Kristoff.

After two more diagnostic presses, the doctor withdrew his hand. "Well," he declared, "There is no physical sign of injury, and there does not appear to be any internal injury either. There is really nothing else for me to do other than to recommend further rest and light food until you are recovered."

During the examination, Anna had extricated herself and taken a position standing next to her sister. '"Thanks Doc," she chirped, "We'll take care of him from here."

Morgannson smiled and bowed to Anna, "Very good, Your Highness." Then looking back to Elsa, "If you have no further need of me, I will retire. It was a busy night and early morning, and I am sure my wife is eager for my return."

And with a nod from Elsa, he gave another bow, and left.

Shortly thereafter, Elsa also went to the door, and, finding a servant, sent word to the kitchen to bring breakfast to Kristoff's room for the three of them, simple food such as broth for Kristoff. While returning, she brought the overturned chair and sat it to one side of Kristoff's bed, while Anna mirrored her sister, drawing a chair up to the other side, and both sat.

"So, Anna, what should we do?" asked Elsa in a rather animated fashion. "Master Bjorgman has _again_ taken actions showing great bravery and service to both his Kingdom and to his Princess and Queen."

Getting into the spirit of it, Anna spoke back to her sister, across the still incapacitated ice harvester in the bed between them, "I think we should tell the Kingdom how much we appreciate the things he has done for us and the Kingdom. Is there any _official_ way of doing that? I mean, as _Queen_, I'm sure you can think of _something._"

"Well," Elsa started, but had to pause a moment to calm her smile and regain her faux-seriousness. "We could give him an honor. It hasn't been done in almost fourteen years, since the gates were closed, but now… _The Order of the Crocus_. Yes, I think that is an excellent idea."

Anna took over, "But we can't just _give_ it to him, right? There has to be a ceremony."

"Of course," continued Elsa, "You can't award honors without a ceremony. Formal dress and uniforms, of course."

"But if he's going to be a knight, doesn't that mean he has to have a loyal steed?" Anna leadingly inquired.

"Yes, his loyal steed will be required for the ceremony. He is to approach on foot, but once knighted, Sir Kristoff is to return riding his steed. We shall have to look diligently to find an appropriate steed for Master Bjorgman. Perhaps one with antlers."

Kristoff closed his eyes while the girls laughed. No, he would never _ever_ hear the end of it from Dag now.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

"Eir" is a Norse valkyrie associated with medical skill. And "Mimir" was known for his knowledge and wisdom, and even after being beheaded continued to supply that wisdom to Odin. Hell of a guy.


	23. Chapter 23 - Relations

**Chapter 23 – Relations**

"A fire? How bad?"

"Eight warehouses, Your Majesty."

"And the one we were interested in? Was anyone hurt?"

"That one particular warehouse was destroyed. The two town guardsmen stationed at the warehouse were attacked, minor injuries."

Elsa sat in a conference room in the castle, getting a report from Captain Salsberg of the town guard. Also present were Captain Krog of the castle guard, Captain Petersen from the Royal Arendelle Navy, and Master Stempson from the Ministry of Trade. While Salsberg and Krog were primarily concerned with physical security, recent events appeared to rise to the level of international incident. As such matters called for the presence of those better versed in inter-kingdom dealings, the presence of Captain Peterson, head of naval and military intelligence was called for. And while in normal times, additional information about the surrounding kingdoms would be gathered through diplomatic means and managed by a Ministry of State, the 'closed gates' policy of Arendelle for the last thirteen years effectively shut down these channels. Therefore it became the bailiwick of the Ministry of Trade, still in operation, to gather said information for the crown, though its means were far more limited, restricted to letters from trade consulates and gathering stories from sailors. Master Stempson, and his black notebook, represented those efforts.

Elsa sighed. "So all we have to determine their origin and motives is the one sheet Master Bjorgman acquired?"

Captain Salsberg nodded. "I'm afraid so, Your Majesty. Whatever materials were in that warehouse were either removed, or were lost in the fire."

Elsa turned to Peterson and Stempson. "And what have you been able to learn from that one sheet of paper?"

Petersen and Stempson glanced at each other, seeming to silently negotiate who would speak. Stempson appeared to have won and spoke up. He held a fountain pen in his right hand, and rolled it between his fingers as he spoke. "The text of document was written in Deutch, suggesting Wesselton as the source. However, nothing else from it identifies the author specifically. The Duke did not do us the favor of signing it himself, in order to relieve us of all doubt." Stempson grinned slightly, apparently amused by his own little jest. "The rest of it contained a list of some residents of Arendelle town, generally wealthy ones, and a brief description of some financial or ethical difficulty for each. Likely, this information was to be used for the purpose of blackmail. However, the information from this document was more like a title, the more detailed descriptions of each party's vulnerability were presumably lost in the fire, or removed beforehand."

Turning back to Captains Krog and Petersen, Elsa inquired, "And what about our guests?"

Petersen shook his head, "I'm afraid we won't getting anything from them. They're invoking the Code of Machiavelli."

"They're invoking what?" Elsa wondered out loud.

Petersen explained, "It's a sort of code of conduct among spies. In this case, since they've been captured, they're saying that if we spare their lives, they will leave Arendelle and swear never to return. But they will not reveal any information about their mission or employer."

"Of course, we don't have to agree," Petersen continued. "We can always employ methods to _encourage_ them to talk—"

"No!" Elsa cut him off. "We will not resort to torture."

Petersen nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

After a good ten seconds of dead air, Elsa asked the company, "So, do we have anything else?"

"Only rumors, Your Majesty," replied Captain Peterson. "There are stories, conflicting stories it seems. Some say that Wesselton is getting the kingdoms it has control over to raise its ships to blockade Arendelle. Some are saying the same thing, but that they will attack, and take you and the Princess hostage. There are others saying that these same kingdoms are now turning on the Duke, shaking off his control. It will take more time until the events become clear."

"An attack or a blockade? Would the Duke actually do this?" Elsa repeated.

"Not likely, Your Majesty. It would be too difficult. And if he actually were pursuing this, we would get word early enough to be able to muster a defense and contact allies as well."

"Which would lead to war, yes?"

"Should it come to it, yes, war. But again, this is just one scenario, and an unlikely one," Peterson concluded.

Dead air again, as the people awaited further direction from their Queen.

"We will keep our guests in the dungeon for now, and keep looking for their conspirators. As for the rest, we'll have to see what else develops. We will meet again in one week to go over any new developments. Thank you."

* * *

Henrik finished reading the draft proposal a second time. "Grandfather, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Henrik, I am," responded the elderly man. His long grey hair framed his weathered features and tired eyes. "I have given it great consideration and feel it is the only solution left to us. We're blessed that it had become possible at all."

"But certainly we could negotiate for the, ah… services, there is no need to go this far, is there?"

"Ah, but there is nothing left for us to negotiate with, is there? This is all that is left. As for myself, I have served the kingdom poorly these last years, it is for the best. Besides, you were never interested in succeeding me; this would free you."

"Perhaps. It certainly commits me in other ways."

"True. Are you willing to do this?"

"For my kingdom and my people, yes, I will do it. I will go to Arendelle."

* * *

Elsa spent the next several hours in her office, working on the apparently never decreasing pile of paperwork, while a heavy summer rain fell noisily outside. The first lot, a handful of official letters to be signed and sealed, responses to official greetings and profferings of good wishes from other kingdoms, principalities, free-cities, and such. It had been two weeks since her coronation, giving a good amount of time for reports of the unusual events to spread across the Scandian Peninsula and most of Europa.

Under normal circumstances, a coronation in a small, relatively unknown kingdom would garner such official messages from only about a dozen kingdoms, neighbors and other near-by friendly nations. But with the extra attention generated, many more states felt it necessary to send official greetings. Whether to endear themselves to a new rising power or to simply remind the new suzerain of their existence, these letters now arrived over a dozen each day.

Yakob Lefferson, her secretary, had performed the initial screening, sorting the letters into groups, those that could be responded to with a standard form, and those requiring a more customized reply. This initial bundle of outgoing letters were of the first sort, requiring only her official royal signature. Simple enough.

The next packet were those that had required some personalized content. One kingdom that been a close ally before the shutting of the gates, now expressing concerns regarding the reliability of Arendelle, warranted a longer letter, expressing her desire to restore their kingdoms' close relationship and her assurances to remain responsive and conciliatory. Another kingdom with which Arendelle had always had a level of competition regarding trade and fishing and mineral rights, deserved a strongly worded missive declaring that all agreements and accommodations arrived at during King Agdar's reign would be expected to still be in effect, and would be defended if broached. And more of the like. Apparently the elevation of a Sorceress Queen gave other kingdoms' heads of state much to think about.

Surprisingly, one state that had remained silent was the Southern Isles. There had been plenty of time since the Lorraine ship would have delivered their errant prince back to them, in chains but alive, for them to have deliberated over the events and made some response, whether it be a groveling apology or a declaration of war. But there had been none. Trade has continued; a shipment of Southern Isles fruit has arrived just the other day. But nothing from the royal house or any ministry. It was odd.

Lastly, was the probably the most important letter so far, her response to the Kingdom of Corona request for the exchange of embassies. An emphatic _Yes_, of course. Elsa had already sent letters to the kings (and one queen and one prince) of the kingdoms that Arendelle had traditionally maintained diplomatic ties, requesting said ties resumption. Most should have arrived already and were likely working their way through each kingdom's deliberative process. Corona's unsolicited request was sent, it seems, at the insistence of Princess Rapunzel, immediately after returning home after the coronation. Though the two kingdoms' royal families were connected, they had not traded embassies before; this improved relationship was new, and a great boon to Arendelle. She signed this letter with a smile upon her face.

And after another half hour's work, Elsa decided she had done enough for the day; all the pressing matters had been handled. There would be plenty more tomorrow.

Stepping out of her office, Elsa was momentarily startled by the two men bordering her door. After the prior day's incident, Captain Krog has insisted on guards for both herself and Anna. True, an attack now was unlikely, and an attack this deep in the castle even less so, but nevertheless, guards now followed her and her sister at all times.

"Gentlemen," Elsa said, acknowledging them. Then somewhat teasingly, "Would you care to join me for lunch?"

One guard, the younger of the two, looked a bit confused. Not knowing how to respond, he glanced over toward his partner, the older, more experienced guardsman. The elder man smiled slightly, bowed respectfully to Elsa and responded, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but we ate before coming on duty. But we would be honored to escort Your Majesty to the dining room."

Elsa nodded back, and allowed herself to be escorted to the family dining hall. Upon arriving, they were met by two additional guardsmen, already stationed. Leaving their company, Elsa entered the room, not surprised to find her sister, already busily working her way through her midday meal.

"Elsa! Are you done with your 'Queen Things' for today?"

Elsa smiled, not able to resist her sister's irrepressible exuberance. "Yes, I am."

"Great! Maybe we can go to town again today—" Thunder crashed outside, raindrops pelting along the windows. Anna glanced towards it, as if only just now noticing the rainfall. "—or maybe we can just go to the library."

"The library will be fine," Elsa agreed. Taking a moment to thank her server who had just brought her lunch, Elsa returned her attention to Anna. "And how is Kristoff doing?" Elsa had left shortly after breakfast had been delivered to attend the security meeting.

Anna frowned, "Okay, I guess. I helped him finish eating, and even got him propped up on some pillows so we could talk. I was in the middle of telling him about the collection of medieval impressionist paintings we have in the gallery, and he fell asleep! I guess coming back from the dead is pretty exhausting."

"Anna," Elsa started defensively, "We didn't bring him back from the dead… we just healed him."

"I don't know. Alde said that he had died— I know, the real Kristoff has gone on to Happy Harvesting Grounds, and you put a snow spirit in him. He _thinks_ he's still Kristoff, but he's really a snowman like Olaf! I'm going to have to see if his head comes off now."

Elsa smiled mechanically at Anna's theorizing. While she knew it was nothing like that, she can see the magic animating Olaf and there was nothing like that around Kristoff, she _had_ created life, twice, and wondered how far her powers actually could go.

* * *

A short time later, Elsa and Anna were ensconced in the library, safe from the rain that still poured outside, protected by a fire in the hearth and a stack of chocolates on the table. While the icy portico and two of the smaller ice sculptures had been removed from the library to be on display during the City Dinner reception, the rest remained in the library, resulting in a staring contest between Anna and the frozen head of a dragon. The dragon won.

"These ice sculptures are really amazing, Elsa. You should do more, and put them around the courtyard. Well, I guess the ice carvers might complain, but—Hey, what are you doing?"

Elsa emerged from behind a bookcase, bearing a large heavy volume in her arms. She placed the tome on the large central table and sat down.

"You want to read?" challenged Anna. "I thought we would play a game or something."

"Actually, this book is for you. You'll need to study and learn a bit if you're to help me with my 'Queen Things'."

"You want my help?" repeated Anna excitedly. She rushed over and sat next to Elsa. "What do need me to do?"

Elsa opened the book to reveal a large map of Europa, the Scandian Peninsula, and the other nearby islands. "How would like to go to other countries to represent me?"

"You want me to be an ambassador for Arendelle?"

"No, not an ambassador," Elsa countered. "We _will_ be opening a number of new embassies, and I'll need to find capable men and women to represent the kingdom." Elsa paused, catching her breath. "I want you to represent _me_."

"Represent you? You mean you you? I don't understand."

Elsa turned to face Anna directly. "Every kingdom has its political interests, its economic interests, its environmental interests, and so it's normal to have people to represent that. But what no other kingdom has… is me. A queen with the power over ice and snow."

"The events around the coronation have drawn a lot of attention," continued Elsa. "The people of Arendelle have accepted me, and that's wonderful. But not everyone feels the same way, and the kings and princes of other lands don't know me, and might be scared or suspicious. Or they may think I want to use my powers to pressure them, or attack."

"But you wouldn't do that!" countered Anna. "The Big Freeze was just an accident. Now you do nice things, like Olaf and your ice palace, and icy Sven over there," she said, waving to the other remaining sculpture.

"Exactly. That's why I need someone to represent _me_. And I can't think of anyone who would be better at it than you."

"Oh!" exclaimed Anna, now understanding. "You want me to go to other kingdoms and tell them how wonderful my sister is. Yeah, I can do that! I'd be great at that."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

\- Sorry for the delay getting this chapter out. I have material for the future, but I kind of stalled coming up with stuff leading up to it. And work, family, summer vacations, etc., of course. You know, life.

\- Yes, I know, _Impressionism_ was from the late 19th century, not medi-eval. It's a joke...

\- I love the song "We Know Better" from the Frozen soundtrack's deep cuts. I used bits of it in the chapter where Anna gets her memories back, and touched on it a little here.


	24. Chapter 24 - Intentions

**Chapter 24 – Intentions**

Elsa and Anna spent the rest of the afternoon planning what would be a sweeping world tour, visits across all of Europa, Northern Africa, the kingdoms on the islands of Britannia and Éire, and even some of the new states across the ocean on Terra Nova. They both knew that a more realistic plan would be needed once they started receiving responses from other nations, agreeing to formal diplomatic relations, but it was fun to imagine travelling to so many interesting and exotics places.

After a light dinner, they decided to visit Kristoff once more, but like earlier, he was still rather tired, but they did manage to relocate him from his bed to a comfortable couch. Each attempted to engage in some conversation, Anna about her new appointment as Elsa's official liaison, Elsa about ice, and Kristoff about his concern for the wellbeing and care for his reindeer, Sven. Finally, after about an hour, and Anna's promise to visit Sven, they returned Kristoff to his repose and wished him a good night's rest.

They then returned to Anna's rooms, where they spent some more time together, before finally declaring the day complete. But on her way back to her own rooms, the conversations of the day struck Elsa with an idea. And so she made a detour, back to the servants' wing, and Kristoff quarters.

Knocking gently on the door, Elsa called out softly, "Kristoff, are you awake? May I come in?"

The response was immediate. "I'm awake," Kristoff replied. "Come on in."

Leaving the guards at door, Elsa entered the room. Kristoff was sitting up, propped by a pile of pillows, reading a book by lamp-light, _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_. She sat on the chair next to the bed. "You seem to be doing better."

Kristoff shrugged. "Yeah, after you and Anna left, I closed my eyes for what must have been my twentieth nap of the day. But when I woke up this time, I had more energy. And since I had been sleeping pretty much all day, I wasn't exactly tired any more."

"That's great," Elsa replied. Standing up again, she paced a bit in thought, then turned back to Kristoff. "And once you are fully recovered, Ice Master Bjorgman, I have a _special_ job for you…"

* * *

The next day started as most days had started since after the coronation and the Great Thaw. Elsa rose early, had a light breakfast, and retreated to her office to begin the day's efforts of administrating a kingdom. Meanwhile, Anna would continue her slumber for several hours longer. When the princess _did_ awaken, she would have her own breakfast, not so light, and then go find her sister.

"Elsa!" cried Anna as she burst through the office door. "What are working on? Anything I can help with?"

Elsa folded the portfolio she was working on closed and slipped it to the side. "Of course, you can. Let's see… would you like to go through this Trade and Tariffs report from the Ministry of Commerce," she said, holding up a thick, bound stack of papers. Then, sliding a large binder across her desk, she continued, "…or perhaps you could go through the budget and see where we could reallocate funds in order to pay for a renovation of the Cathedral?"

Anna gave Elsa a look, twisting her mouth as if she had just bitten into a lemon. "Maybe I could read some letters?"

Elsa smiled and handed over a smaller stack of envelopes. "Yakob has already gone through them once, pulled out the easy ones, and left the more complicated ones for me." Placing the stack on what was now Anna's side of the desk, Elsa took the Trade report, flipped over the first couple pages, and started to read.

Anna took the first envelope and looked at markings. Fancy penmanship and an ornate seal of red wax, now broken. Opening it, she removed the letter. More of the same fancy writing, now forming fancy words and sentences. The letter wasn't long, an invitation to attend a coming of age ceremony for a Prince Edward of the Kingdom of Norwich, over on the island of Britannia. Along the side of the note, however, was a mark by a different hand. "PPTM"

"What's PPTM?" asked Anna, hold out the letter.

Elsa looked up from her report and sighed. "It's a little message from Yakob. _Potential Prince to Marry_.Just his way of helping out. Since we are expected to find _some_ prince, or someone like that, to marry, whenever we get a letter like this, and the prince is available and the right age… he makes a note."

"Well, after the _last_ one, I'm swearing off princes."

Elsa smiled and shook her head. "And while it's expected, it's not required. There is no Arendelle law saying we must marry royalty, and there are plenty of counter-examples in our family history. But sometimes it is useful diplomatically."

Anna picked up another letter and unfolded it. Feigning reading it, she asked, "So… are you going to wear your ice dress to the party at the Alweign's manor tonight?"

Elsa looked up again. "Anna, about that... With the recent events, I was thinking we shouldn't go—"

Anna dropped the letter and looked at Elsa directly. "But Elsa, we _have_ to. First, you promised, and you can't be a good queen if you're breaking promises…"

Elsa gasped at the rhetorical blindside, but Anna continued before Elsa could interrupt.

"Second, this one is different. It's not here at the castle, and it's not some formal kingdom function. It's just a party with people around _our_ age. Maybe you'll find _your_ not-a-prince there. After all the time we spent alone in the castle, it'll be great to just be with people. You know, for fun."

Anna stared intently at Elsa, awaiting her surrender, but it was not forthcoming, so she was forced to deploy her final, most devastating weapon. "And third, they said there would be chocolate."

Her forces routed, Elsa conceded defeat, and smiled. "I suppose it would be waste of Lieutenant Hanssen's efforts if we canceled." Lieutenant Alvar Hanssen, one of Captain Krog's two immediate subordinates, had been assigned the duty of coordinating the security around the Alweign household to ensure the queen and princesses' safety.

Magnanimous in her victory, Anna smiled back. "A wise decision, Your Majesty." Reclaiming the letter she had just abandoned, she held it up for inspection, determined to be the best assistant-to-the-queen princess she could be.

"What the…? This isn't even written in Norse!"

* * *

Kristoff and Sven walked down one side of South Boulevard, then turned right, following Merchant's Street for several more blocks. He thought about Elsa's special project. The first part, he could handle himself, well, himself and Sven. He'd need one or two other ice harvesters to cover his regular castle ice deliveries, but he knew a few ice-men, independents of course, who would appreciate the work.

Almost reaching the city gate, he turned left onto Iskroveien, and reached his destination. Tying Sven to the hitch, he admonished him, "Don't harass the horses." Sven snorted dismissively; _"Sometimes the horses deserve it,"_ he replied in Kristoff's voice. Shaking his head, Kristoff turned away from Sven and to the front door of the _Ice House_ tavern, and entered.

"Well, if it isn't my good friend, the hero of Arendelle himself." It was still morning, so there was little activity in the commons room, so there was no hiding from the man when he entered. Lars Henriksen, head of the _Ice Harvesters and Carvers Guild_, and no friend of Kristoff's.

He could handle the first part himself, Kristoff repeated to himself mentally, but after that, he'd be needing a good bit of help. He would need a sizable number of ice-men, their horses and their sleds, and he wouldn't have time to find and organize the teams himself. And so he was forced to go to the man who already had the men, the horses, the sleds… and the organization.

Steeling himself, Kristoff approached the elder man. "Henricksen," Kristoff intoned formally.

The guildmaster waited patiently as Kristoff pulled up a chair and sat. "And to what do I owe the pleasure? I do thank you, on behalf of the guild, for your approaching Her Majesty regarding our possible conflicts of interest. Her magic versus our livelihoods. I am glad that she understands and sympathizes with our position."

Kristoff nodded. It felt odd to him that it was less than a week ago that these same two men sat at this same table to discuss the queen and her magic, with all that had happened in between. Nevertheless, he had agreed to help Elsa and to do that right, he had to come here.

* * *

Anna had done her best, but most of the letters, communiques, dispatches, etc. required Elsa's more detailed knowledge, or for Elsa to make an executive decision, neither for which was Anna equipped nor authorized. However, she was able to take responsibility for responding to another letter from Princess Rapunzel of Corona, this one more personal, whereas the prior letter from Corona was from the King and for official kingdom-to-kingdom business. Additionally, Anna also would be drafting for Elsa a response to an organization calling itself the _Learned Society of European Magic_, which claimed to study matters of magic and magical beings, as well as defend their existence against those who oppose them, those branding all use of magic, and those born of it, to be evil and of ill intent. This society had written with a number of inquiries of Elsa, regarding the nature of her powers, her intents as to their use, and her philosophy. It seemed an excellent first exercise for Anna in her role as Elsa's liaison.

The two royal women continued their work through mid-afternoon, pausing only for a simple lunch brought to them in the office. When each had finally reached an acceptable stopping point, they separated to take care of other matters before preparing for the coming evening's outing.

Feeling pleased with having completed a significant amount of the ever increasing clerical work that fell on her to handle, as well as warmed that she could now include her sister, Elsa continued her streak with several short meetings with a few kingdom officials. The first was with Captain Krog of the Royal Guard to discuss his proposal for new guard staffing levels and funding. Next was with Master Kai, Seneschal of the Castle, discussing very similar matters regarding the castle staff. And finally with High Priest Jaegerhold, to speak about plans for the upcoming holidays and festivals.

Anna was feeling equally pleased with her accomplishments and that she was able to help Elsa with her "Queen Things." Now finished for the day, she decided to visit Kristoff, only to find his rooms empty. Castle staff reported that he had left sometime mid-morning, but had not left any word as to when he would return. Investigating further, she determined that while Sven was not currently in the stables, Kristoff's new sled was still parked in the carriage house, and therefore he is not likely to have gone far, most like just into town, and would be back later. But with her and Elsa's plans for that evening, they'd likely be gone when Kristoff got back, missing each other again. It was starting to get a little aggravating; Kristoff was around, but she couldn't seem to spend much time with him, alone that is. They kissed that one time, so he liked her, right? But they've barely been able to see each other since then, so was it something real? She had no way to know.

* * *

Anna peered out the window of the carriage for the fourth time. "And there's another. How many guards do we need just to go to a party?"

Elsa, sitting opposite Anna, glanced out as well, seeing two Royal Guardsmen at the crossroads, as well as two City Watchmen, diligently watching for any signs. "All of them, if Captain Krog had his way."

"It's not that bad, is it?" Anna said, turning back to Elsa. "It's just a couple spies from Weaseltown, the leftovers, too. It's not like the people of _Arendelle_ want to hurt us."

Elsa nodded. "The good Captain is making up for allowing the first ones through. We will permit his excesses for a time, and when appropriate, we will restrain them again."

Anna squinted back at Elsa's dictum. "Is that the royal 'we'? There's no need get all Queenly at me."

Elsa smiled back at Anna, sitting back, closed her eyes, and relaxed. No need to be a Queen right now, just a sister.

Anna was looking out the window again. "We just crossed Oddenveien, so now we're in _Kronertown_. Shouldn't be long."

"Don't call it that. It's the northern quarter."

"Well, that's what Pree said people call it. It where are the rich people live and have their big houses. Hey, do _we_ have a house?"

Elsa opened her eyes partly. "We live in the castle," she deadpanned.

"I _know_ that. But that's because you're the queen and I'm the princess. But what if we weren't? Do we have a house? What's really ours, anyway? Are _we_ rich?"

Elsa sat back up; it was a serious question. "Our family has been the royal family of Arendelle since its founding almost a thousand years ago. It's hard to separate what's ours and what belongs to the kingdom. But if tomorrow we were suddenly living in the Republic of Arendelle and we were just private citizens, yes, we would be well off." She paused a moment, thinking, "Though I think we _would_ have to find a house."

The carriage bumped gently along the cobblestone road for another couple blocks.

"Can I keep Pree?" Anna suddenly asked.

"Keep her? Pree, the housemaid? What do you mean?"

"Keep her just working for me. When the gates were closed, there wasn't anything going on, so we were able to take care of ourselves just fine, right? But now that the gates are open and we're seeing people and we're having balls and people come to the castle from other kingdoms, it's a lot more complicated. And since I'm a princess, I get to have a lady-in-waiting, right? Well, can I have Pree be that for me?"

"Actually, you get to have two or three, so they have shifts and can take days off. If you like Pree and she's wants the job, just get Master Kai's approval."

"Great! And what about you?"

Elsa emitted a short laugh. "Apparently, I already have one. It seems Madam Vilhjalmsson, Mother's old lady-in-waiting, has decided that she now serves me. If "serves" is the right term; she seems to want to boss me around like I was still eight years old. Though apparently she _does_ remember the occasional slip-on-the-ice from many years ago and now suspects where it came from. Anyway, I had to get Kai to send her home early today just so we could have the dressing room to ourselves."

The occupants of the carriage experienced a few sudden jounces, and then were still. They had arrived.


	25. Chapter 25 - Actual Real Live People

**Chapter 25 – Actual Real Live People**

The coachman opened the door to the carriage, allowing a brief gust of the warm, moist summer air to enter the cab. It was already drawing into evening, but the long summer hours of the northern kingdom provided ample sunlight. Two Royal Guards took position on either side of the coach's door, as Elsa exited, followed quickly Anna. A short distance away were the open front doors of the Alweign manor house, a large residence of brick and stone, commanding three stories in height and spreading across the property, a wide central structure intersecting with residential wings on either side. And standing just inside the aforementioned front door were a number of people, among whom Elsa recognized the two young women that they had met several days before at the dress shop, Helga and Britta Alweign. Next to them were an older couple, presumably the head of the household and his wife.

Helga, the younger of the two Alweign sisters leapt ahead eagerly, breaking out of her mother's restraining grip, and performed a quick curtsey. "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, I'm so happy you came," she said quickly, unable to contain her enthusiasm. As Elsa and Anna closed the short remaining distance to the door, the man stepped ahead and bowed formally. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I am Olvar Alweign." Raising his arm towards the women, he continued the introductions, "My wife, Gunfrid, and my daughters Britta and Helga. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you," Elsa replied. "I do hope my Royal Guards have not put you to any great inconvenience."

Lady Alweign spoke up, "Oh no, not at all." She smiled caringly at the two royal women almost as if they were her own daughters. "Especially considering what just happened, we all just want to be sure you are both safe."

Lord Alweign stepped to one side. "Please, come in," he entreated of them. "I hope you enjoy the evening. There is plenty of food and wine, and, I hope, the good company of my daughters and their friends. If, however, you decide you'd like some more mature conversation, Gunfrid and I will just be over in the East Wing. Just ask Jarlevis," he concluded, indicating a tall man, formally dressed, standing at the end of the foyer.

Elsa and Anna followed the two Alweign daughters down a short hallway. The butler Jarlevis opened a pair of doors to a large room, full of people who suddenly quieted.

The man announced stentorianly, "Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

* * *

Just two hours earlier, Elsa and Anna met in their shared dressing room to prepare for the evening's gathering.

Anna was already there when Elsa entered, sitting at one of the dressing tables, her handmaiden Bree working on her hair. Noticing Elsa's arrival, Anna called out, "Hey, Elsa, look what Bree's doing!" Bree, however, found herself in a difficult position, her hands full of combs and locks of the Princess' hair, and needing to turn and curtsey to the Queen. Noticing her contortions, Elsa calmed her, "It's okay, Bree. Just take care of Anna."

Bree still managed an awkward bending of her knees, then returned to her work. For a party where a more formal dress was expected, Anna was having her hair prepared in something other than her usual two pig-tail braids, though Elsa could not image what the purpose was of the two thin sticks that Bree was inserting through the bun of Anna's hair now gathered at the back of her head.

Rising, Anna turned towards Elsa and removed her dressing gown to reveal her dress. Definitely not of a Scandian style, much less Europan, the dress was colored as red as Anna's hair. The bodice wrapped around her jacket like, a seam embroidered with gold thread tracing from the high neckline, across below the right shoulder and then down the right side, the sleeves coming down only just past her shoulders. The waistline fit snug along her figure down to the skirt which fell in a straight line to her ankles. A filigree forming a floral pattern followed along the seam to the waist where it then scattered across the skirt to the hemline. The ensemble was completed with a pair of sandals, color matching the dress.

"Wow," gasped Elsa. "It's beautiful."

Anna looked down at her dress and then back at Elsa, "I know, right! I was going through that atlas some more, learning my kingdoms for when I start travelling for you, and I got kinda lost and was looking at some of kingdoms all the way over in the Orient. I also had a book that talked about the cultures, you know, the language and the food and the clothes, and I saw a picture showing the Emperor of Sinhua, who was in fancy armor and a gold coat, and his Empress, who had a dress like this. So later, I was talking to Pree about it, and she said her _aunt_ was a seamstress and could make me a dress like it, but I told it there wouldn't be time since the party was tomorrow, meaning today since we were talking about it yesterday, and Bree said her aunt could do it so I said that would be great, and Bree came back just a little while ago with this dress and isn't it amazing!"

Elsa smiled while the words and Anna's joy washed over her. "Yes, it is." Turning to Bree, "My compliments to your aunt."

Hands now free, Bree was able to perform a proper curtsey. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Anna turned her attention back to her sister. "So, are you going to wear your ice-dress to the party?"

"Well, with all the talk about it in town, and other women having their own dresses made like it, I don't think I should wear _that_ dress again. But I have been thinking about a _new_ ice dress…" She raised her arms, drawing the power, but then stopped. "I really should change out of this dress first. It would be lost in the transformation, and I do rather like it."

Elsa stepped behind a dressing screen. One by one, pieces of her current outfit appeared on the chair sitting next to the partition, until finally Anna couldn't think of anything that was left for Elsa to remove. "I guess the cold _doesn't_ bother you…"

The temperature of the room suddenly dropped, and a swirl of snow and ice formed above where Elsa must be standing on the other side of the screen. The miniature blizzard twisted about and then reached down, spun for another few seconds, then suddenly flew apart and dissipated. A moment later, Elsa emerged.

The skirt was the color of new fallen snow and hugged her hips and thighs closely. The hemline, however, angled jauntily, starting just above her left knee and concluding about the middle of her right calf, a short, snowflake-patterned lace trim following along the lower edge. The dress rose snugly up her waist, ending low on her back and rising to a heart-shaped décolletage. A shimmering, light blue gossamer fabric rose from each side to the edges of her shoulders, and cascaded loosely down her arms. A glistening chain of ice encircled her neck, from which hung a handful of crystalline snowflakes. Her hair was in her now signature braid, which she had drawn over her left shoulder, and was interspersed with snowflakes matching those on her necklace. Completing the outfit were a pair of icy, glass-like heeled shoes, snowy white laces rising twistingly about her ankles.

Anna smiled approvingly. "Beautifuller!"

* * *

"Her Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

There was a short flight of two steps descending from a small landing at doorway of the great-room, creating the effect that Elsa and Anna stood atop a platform from which they addressed their subjects. This was only reinforced by the quiet, attentive stares they were now receiving from the room's occupants.

"No." Anna's word cut through the silence. She turned to her sister and repeated it, more quietly. "No. We're not here to be all special and royal. We can do _that_ back in the castle. We're _here_ so we can just be normal, meet people, make some friends. Okay?"

Elsa turn to Anna and whispered back, nervously, "I… I don't know. I know how to be the Queen of Arendelle; I've been training to be that all my life. I just learned how to be the Snow Queen," she said, raising her hand between them and creating a tiny puff of snow, "But I don't know how to be… _normal_."

Anna grabbed and held Elsa arms and squeezed them affectionately, "It's just like being a sister. I _know_ you can be that." She glanced briefly towards their befuddled audience and then back to Elsa. "Let me handle this."

Letting go of Elsa, Anna turned fully towards the gathering of people staring at them. "Alright, we're going to try this entrance again. But this time, we're not the Queen and Princess, we're," she bit her lip, deliberating, "Elsa and Anna Agdarsen, from a respectable Arendelle family with long history in civil service." Then, grinning, she added "and recent interest in the ice business."

A few moments later, they, along with the Alweign sisters and their butler, were back in the hallway behind the once again closed door.

Britta took a few step closer to Elsa. "Are you all right, Your Majesty—"

But Anna interrupted, "Elsa. Tonight we're just Elsa and Anna. Okay?"

Britta blushed nervously, "Umm. _Lady_ Elsa, are you all right? Would you like a drink? Some water?"

Elsa breathed deeply, steadying her nerves. "Actually, some wine would be nice."

The butler, Jarlevis, nodded his head. "My Lady. It will just take a moment," and strode purposefully down another the hallway.

The four women stood there uncomfortably quiet for a few moments, until Anna finally broke the tension, "So, this is a nice house."

"It's been the Alweign family home for almost two hundred years," Helga responded, eager to fill the awkward silence. "Oskar Alweign built it in 1655, though it was just this middle part back then. Great-grandfather Olvein added the two wings about sixty years ago, after making money during the First Iberian War. He sold food and boots to the Catalonians—"

Helga's family history lesson was interrupted by Jarlevis' return, bearing a tray with four tall glasses of a deep, red vintage, which he then presented, bowing cautiously, as to not risk spilling his cargo. "My Ladies."

Elsa and the Alweign sisters each took a glass, but Anna hesitated, glancing at Elsa. But Elsa just nodded, smiling indulgently. "Oh, okay. Great," Anna prattled, finally taking her glass. After a few sips, though, Anna wasn't sure if she actually liked it or not.

Elsa, after taking a few drinks herself, finally turned to the tall man. "Thank you." And raising her free hand towards the door to the great-room, "If you would…"

* * *

"…and this is Frederik and Etta Lavrants," cited Britta, introducing the couple to "Ladies" Elsa and Anna. This would be the third such introduction she will have performed so far. "They just returned from Bergen where Frederik has been studying law for the last three years."

"We decided to return to Arendelle, where we both grew up," explained Etta, "when we discovered that I was with child."

Elsa smiled and commented, "That's wonderful." Then, turning to Frederik, "So, what form of law to you practice?"

"My practice is primarily international contract law," he explained. "I am often hired by local merchants to assist in drawing up contracts with the shipping companies. Matters have gotten a good bit busier recently, due to the, ah, recent change in the kingdom's trade policies."

Elsa nodded, appreciating the man's efforts to maintain the little charade. It was the _kingdom's_ change of policy, not _Your Majesty's_. Then she noticed her sister, standing to her right, but twisted around, something else clearly having caught her attention. Elsa gave her a nudge to draw her attention. "Anna, we're over here."

Anna turned back suddenly. "What? Oh, congratulations on your practice child." Grabbing her sister's arm and pulling her away, she whispered, "Elsa, come on! We should go talk to him," she said, nodded her head towards a small gathering on the opposite side of the room, "Helga says that he's been over to the new colonies on Terra Nova, practically grew up there. Isn't that amazing?"

Elsa managed to extract her arms from Anna's grasp. "Why don't you go on ahead, I'll catch up with you in a little while?"

Anna placed both her hands on her waist, arms akimbo, and looked at her sister. "Fine, but don't you go hiding in a corner. Meet people, make friends." Looking around, Anna homed in on a target, "Why don't you go talk to _him_. He looks interesting." Then, grabbing Helga's hand, Anna rushed over to her original objective.

Elsa glanced to the remaining elder Alweign sister, "Sorry, Anna does tend to get a bit excited…"

Britta smiled, "Nothing to worry about; Helga is much the same way." Turning her head towards Anna's latter discovery, she continued, "however, she was right, he _is_ interesting."

The man was tall and immaculately dressed in suit of southern Europan style. He wore a well-manicured mustache and van-dyke beard, the dark hair matching his equally well coiffed shoulder-length hair. Having just emerged from the next room, he was now selecting a fresh glass of wine from a passing servant. He turned to greet the oncoming Britta and her guest.

"Ah, Britta, where have you been, I have missed you all day," he intoned. Taking Britta's arms into his own, he gave her a light kiss on her cheek, and then turned to Elsa. "And who is your lovely companion?" He spoke with a rich Gallic accent, a lot like that of the dignitary from Lorraine who attended the coronation, but somewhat richer, the consonants sharper and the vowels more elongated.

Turning to Elsa, Britta performed the introductions. "Jean-Pierre, may I present Lady Elsa Agdarsen. Elsa, this is Jean-Pierre, le vicomte du Mont Blanc."

The gentlemen took Elsa's hand and gave it a light kiss. "I am enchanted to meet you, my lady." His Norse was quite good, the Gallic accent making all the more alluring.

"So, what brings you to Arendelle?" queried Elsa conversationally.

"Ah, I could say it was the company, the food, or even the brilliance of the aurora at night. But the truth is, it is the weather. The heat, back home, is unbearable in the summer." He smiled, took a drink of his wine, and continued, "And so to escape it, I come visit my dear cousins living here in the more pleasant northern climes."

"But as the Viscount of Mont Blanc," Elsa conjectured, "could you not simply climb your mountain until you reach a comfortable altitude?"

The aforementioned viscount raised his glass in acknowledgement, "An excellent point, my lady. Indeed, my family has a château up in the heights, and it is quite comfortable. But mother and father, are busy with matters of state, and my brother is off with the legions, leaving me quite alone. And so, instead, I chose travel to find the far more pleasant company here. That, and the possibility of attending your namesake's coronation, made this the far more promising choice."

"You came for the coronation?" asked Elsa, curious.

"I tried, but my ship was forced to dock in Lisbon for nearly a week to repair damage due to storms we encountered, and when we finally arrived, I find that I had missed all the excitement. Quel dommage."

"Peut- être," responded Elsa, "je souhaite que vous avez trouvé l'excitation depuis."

"Ah, you speak la belle langue. This is why I love visiting Arendelle, the women are as intelligent as they are beautiful." After another quick drink of his wine, he leaned toward Elsa, "I'll let you in on a secret, I once asked my dear Britta for her hand in marriage, but she turned me down. It seems that she has pledged herself to some navy captain—"

"_Lietenant _Siggursen, serving on the HMS Trondheim," corrected Britta.

"—and so I am left to spend my days alone, bereft of love, forced to wander from party to party, in search of any soul who may heal my broken heart." Britta gave him a playful shove at his farcical soliloquy.

"We're cousins, but only distantly," she explained. "The connection is from many years ago, but our families have remained close, and we visit each other often."

There was pause in conversation, then Elsa inquired, "Has there been any resolution on the King of Sardinia's claims on Savoy?"

Jean-Pierre raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You are aware of the politics! Most people this far north are barely even know where the Duchy of Savoy is located—it is down there, somewhere," he said raising his arm, waving his hand, "—much less know the goings-on of the region. That is the matter that forced father to remain in the heat, rather than escape to a more temperate refuge. The claim is baseless, of course, and Sardinia knows it; but they make the claim in order to exert leverage. They will negotiate and they will barter, and some small islands may be changing their flags, but it will not amount to anything of significance."

Britta jumped in, "Let's not discuss politics, all right?" She glanced sympathetically towards Elsa.

"But about what else should we be talking? Perhaps we should review the party's sartorial choices?" Smiling at Elsa, he continued, "I must say, you made a lovely choice, makes quite a statement and is unique. So many others, including our little Helga, have been enthralled such that they all want a copy of your queen's now famous dress."

Barely pausing, he maintained, "Britta says that Her Majesty will be coming to this very party. I would invite her to return with me and use her magical gift to put a light frost upon the Duchy of Savoy to abate the terrible heat, but I fear the people would depose us and elevate her in gratitude."

Britta burst out laughing, startling the man. "I can't let you go on any further, J.P.," she started, "This _is_ Queen Elsa! She and Princess Anna," she explained, indicating the bubbly redhead in the next cluster over, "told us to treat them like regular people during the party. But you hadn't come out from your rooms yet, so you didn't know."

"Mon dieu, of course! Je suis un idiot." He bowed to Elsa formally, "Your Majesty, I must apologize for any offense I have given."

Elsa touched his arm, indicating that he should stand straight. "There has been no offense. In fact, it has been fun. I am finally enjoying myself, so thank you."

"Well, thank you for your clemency… _Lady_ Elsa," he said, exaggeratedly, now knowingly playing along.

Elsa simply nodded back, smiling.

"And, with that concluded," said Britta purposefully, "let us move on to the buffet, which Marcell and his crew have work on so deliberately. Jean-Pierre, would you be a gentleman and escort the Lady Elsa while I let the rest of the party know?"

Jean-Pierre bowed briefly to Britta. "It would be my pleasure." Turning to Elsa, he offered his left arm, elbow extended, "My Lady, if I may have the pleasure of your company."

* * *

"…and snow went everywhere, but he just said _'It's okay, I don't have any bones.'_" The small crowd of party guests all laughed at the conclusion of her Olaf-story, which, perhaps, came close to violating the _Not-the-Queen-and-Princess_ rule for the evening, but Anna had decided that a good tale trumped a strict adherence to the rule.

"So, Humfred, you said you've been to Roma?" Anna kept going, uninterrupted, "I've only seen pictures of it, but it looks amazing. What was it like? – oh, hey, Elsa!"

Anna broke off from her assemblage and walked quickly, trying to act nonchalant but failing, into Elsa and Jean-Pierre's path. "So Elsa, who's your new friend?"

Indicating each person with her left hand, since her right arm was still intertwined with her companion's left, "This is my sister, Anna. Anna, this is Jean-Pierre of Savoy, the Viscount of Mont Blanc."

Anna looked him up and down. "He sure is."

"I say," said Jean-Pierre, "has is suddenly gotten colder in here?"

Meanwhile, Anna's small party arrived behind her. Grinning teasingly at Elsa's discomfort, Anna turned halfway in order to be able to address both the newly arrived people and Elsa.

"Elsa, this is Humfred Alversen, and he's travelled all over Europa, his family is part of a big import-export company, and so he and his father and uncle travel all over. And this is Jonn and Løssi Stotl, and they're farmers, well _they_ don't actually do the farming, Løssi's family runs a large manor north of the city, and this is Hedin and his family is into real estate, and this is Mina Murrick and _she's_ going to be a doctor! And you already know Helga. Everyone, this is my sister Elsa."

There followed a series of greetings, complete with a few awkward half-bows and unsure half-performed curtseys, the assemblage not knowing quite how to greet a temporarily-not-queen. Luckily, it was soon interrupted by Britta's arrival, urging all to move on to the buffet. Elsa released Jean-Pierre, and held back a bit to talk to Anna.

"So, Anna, are you enjoying yourself?"

"I sure am! How about you? Having a good time with Monsieur tall, nice clothes, and gorgeous accent?"

Elsa laughed, "That's Viscount gorgeous accent, and yes, I am."

"Good! But, if he starts up anything, like trying to usurp the throne or anything, you just let me know and I'll give him what for, just like I did for Hans—" she said, winding up her right arm for a punch.

Elsa reached over and took Anna's arm in her hands to settle her down. Still holding, she met her sister's eyes, and whispered, "Thank you."

"Uh, sure," replied Anna. "What for?"

"For being you. For getting me to come out, to be with people, like this. It's still hard for me. But with as long as we're together, I think I can do it."

"I'll always be right here for you. Just let me in."


	26. Chapter 26 - Dessert

**Chapter 26 – Dessert**

The sisters continued to enjoy their time at the party at the Alweign estate, each in their own style. Anna circulating, making new acquaintances, and Elsa more quietly, conversing with a few select people to whom she found she could relate.

Later in the evening, however, there was a minor crisis. The champagne, which Jean-Pierre had dutifully brought with him from Gaul, had not been chilled properly prior to being brought out. However, Anna was able to convince Elsa that it wouldn't be a violation of their _Not-the-Queen-and-Princess_ rule for the evening if she used her powers, since she'd be acting as the _Snow Queen_, not the _Queen of Arendelle_. And thus, after a carefully guided application of cold and ice, which received an enthusiastic applause, the sparkling beverage was enjoyed by all.

Jean-Pierre presented Elsa with a now nicely frosted flute of champagne and took one himself, inspecting it, then tasting it, and finally nodding with approval.

"A marvelous application of your talents, my dear Elsa. Between efforts like this and the occasional skating rink, I can see why the people are so affectionate of you."

The comment startled Elsa. She took a quick drink to cover her reaction. "Well, the people of Arendelle are special. Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way."

"Bah, Wesselton is a fool. The world is full of magic and he is an idiot to not embrace it."

Elsa's took another drink from her glass, considering the man's declaration. She supposed it was true enough, there are many stories of fairy god-mothers and witches, wizard and mermaids, goblins and, of course, trolls. Some people with magic had already come to Arendelle itself, drawn there because of Elsa herself. However, few had Elsa's sheer power, and the history of those few who had was generally not favorable. Arendelle may have accepted her, but the rest of the world may not feel as inviting.

"…of magic, not unknown in the vicinity of my homeland, either." Jean-Pierre had apparently continued speaking, unaware of Elsa's distraction, but had now gained her attention, as well as that of a number of other nearby party guests. "You may have heard of this, of course. About a hundred years ago, there was a small kingdom, not that far north of Savoy. The king had died in a distant war, leaving his young son without family in his castle. The young prince was so hurt, having been left alone, that he lashed out against the subjects of the kingdom, demanding their food and gold, and later, as he got older, girls. They people grew to hate him, and would have overthrown him, were it not for the cooperation of his supporters in the castle, his guards and courtiers, who benefited from the prince's greed. When the people could take no more, the searched and found a sorceress, pledging all that they had for her favor. She went to the castle in the guise of a young, pretty woman, one of the prince's 'guests,' and laid a curse upon him and his servants in the castle, transforming the boy into a horrible beast, and the castle staff into the very furniture and kitchenware and such. It is not clear what happened after. Some say the prince fell in love with a village girl, and would not release her. And despite his depravations upon her, she eventually fell in love with the monster and this broke the curse. However, another story says that he just continued in his horrible treatment of his people, now reinforced by his being a savage creature. Finally a group of men raised arms against him, stormed the castle, and killed the prince, throwing him off the castle walls, down the mountainside. And in this version, upon his death, the curse was broken, and the servants became human again, but without a liege, they abandoned the castle. In either case, the castle has since fallen into ruins."

"Is the story true? Have you seen the castle?" asked a member of his small audience.

"I haven't, but I know a few who say they have. As to the story's veracity? There are historical records that detail the place and the people. But of the curse? There's no way to be sure. Perhaps it happened as told in the story, but it has been stuck from the official records. Or perhaps it is merely the tellings of men trying to sell an exciting book of stories."

"I didn't like it," declared Anna, jumping into the conversation. "I suppose the sorceress was trying to help the people, but she hurt a lot of people too. I mean, I suppose the prince and some of his helpers had it coming, but a lot of the people probably just worked there, and _they_ got turned into teapots and stuff, right? It doesn't exactly give a good impression of people with magic. I prefer the kind of story where, say, a fairy godmother helps a girl find her true love or something."

"Well," Jean-Pierre responded, "there is the story of Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty. It may have been over four hundred years ago, but the devastation wrought by Maleficent to the kingdoms of central Europa is pretty well established. But they also tell of seven fairies who blessed and took care of Briar Rose as she grew up, and later watched over her kingdom as it slept for a hundred years."

"Hmph," commented Anna. "I guess we'll just have to write our own _wonderful_ stories about the Snow Queen for people to read a hundred years from now."

"Anna," said Elsa, finally entering the conversation, "I think we have enough to handle today to be worried about what people will think in a hundred years."

"Quite right!" Jean-Pierre raised his glass high as if in toast, "Let us forego thoughts of the far future and focus on the good we have today, good food, good drink, good friends, and good family."

* * *

"Really?" cried Anna, "We're related?"

"Yes, Your High—I mean, Lady Anna."

His name was Oskar Yoriksen. He wasn't tall, only about an inch taller than Anna, but was dressed well, though not ornately, and wore a pair of thick spectacles which he kept having to push back up his nose.

"We are something like fourth-cousins, once-removed," he explained. "I have it all worked out, though it's all written down in a ledger, which is back home, but I can remember most of it. Normally, with a royal family, there's the first born son who is going to be the next king. Or first born daughter, if there are no sons, of course," he said, nodding with each point he made. "The other siblings would normally marry a prince or princess, or some other nobility, in another kingdom and move away, leaving only the king back here in Arendelle. Well, if you go back a bit, there was King Aelfrick. He had a younger brother named Yorick, and instead of marrying the princess from Aarhus, like he was supposed to, he married a local woman, Annalisa Lindgren, and so she became Princess Annalisa. Now King Aelfrick married Princess Sylvie from the Kingdom of Lanark, and was succeeded by their son, King Yannik, who was succeeded by his son King Yorril, and then his son King Agdar, and finally Queen Elsa. Now Prince Yorick and Princess Annalisa stayed in Arendelle, and actually still lived in the castle. They had three children, who they _called_ princes and princesses, though they weren't really, that's only for the actual king, his siblings and children… or queen and sister. Anyway, they grew up, one princess left Arendelle, but the others just moved to the city, and they had their families. They needed a family name and took Yoriksen. And Prince Yorick was my father's grandfather."

Anna took a moment, going over the details in her own mind. "So you're not royal, but does that make your family nobility or something?"

He laughed a bit. "I wish. Arendelle isn't big enough to have any nobility, just the royal family. If we were bigger, I guess my father would be a Count or Baron or something."

"I know we have cousins, aunts and uncles, but like you said, they're off in other kingdoms. It's great to know we have some family right here in Arendelle." Anna paused, considering. "I don't suppose anyone on your side of the family has magic?"

Oskar smiled, "Well, my mother always seems to know what my sister and I are thinking. Does that count?"

"Hey, I got to get you to tell Elsa about your family." Anna looked around the great-room for her sister, but without success. "Huh. I wonder where she is…"

* * *

"Evening, Lars."

"Oh, hey Pitr. You just get here?"

"Yeah. Relieving Olav. Again."

"His son again?"

"He didn't say, but we wasn't happy, so probably."

"That kid's going to ruin him." Lars Harshman, Corporal in the Royal Guard, glanced up and down the street that they were guarding. There was nothing. "So, how's your son? He treating you right?"

Pitr Ivarsen, Guardsman First Class, laughed lightly, "I don't know. He keeps giving me this look like he's up to something. But then just says '_Dada_' and I can't prove a thing."

Lars laughed back. "How old is he now, about a year, right? He walking yet?"

"Almost. He trying real hard. He pulls himself up using this one chair," Pitr explained, waving his arms in imitation, "then works his way over using his hands until he gets to Molly. Then he hangs onto her skirt with one hand, getting around her legs, until he gets to the next chair. Again holding onto that chair he keeps going, but then runs out of things to hold onto. So he turns, tries to walk on his own, and falls right onto the dog!"

Both men laughed again, then were quiet for a while.

"And how's Saja?" asked Pitr of his superior.

"Oh, she's a bundle of energy. Neither Elvi nor mother can keep her in one place any more. But she's always there when _I_ get home for the last two weeks. '_Did you see the Queen? Were you her guard today? Did she make any snow?_' The girl is crazy for Queen Elsa. Gave me a letter she wrote to give to the Queen next time I see her."

"Yeah? Did you?"

"No, not yet. I mean, what am I supposed to do? '_Excuse me, Your Majesty, but my daughter is big fan, and she wrote you a letter. Here._' Now, if it was the Princess, that's exactly what I would do. She's always been friendly with the guards and staff. I guess it's better now that she isn't hiding any more, but she still doesn't seem to talk to people much. I mean, have you been on her detail?" Pitr nodded, so Lars continued, "So you've probably seen her, she always seems to be thinking about something. Trade with Oslo, declare war with the Southern Isles, how much snow should Arendelle get his winter?"

"Well, we're here in Kronertown, guarding her at a party," countered Pitr. "Didn't think that would happen?"

"No, you're right. We all thought we would spend the next thirty years guarding the hallway while the council slipped papers under her door. I suppose I should try, Saja's been asking if I gave it to her for the last three days."

"Little girl outranks Guardsman Corporal! Hop to it, man!" Lars and Pitr both laughed.

"Not so little anymore. She's fourteen and almost as tall as her mother."

A City Guardsman with a lantern walked along the opposite side of the street and waved to the two Royal Guardsmen. They waved back, acknowledging him and confirming the lack of any activity. The weather had cooled after sunset, and the night was pleasant enough.

Lars checked his pocket-watch. "Time for another circuit around the house. You stay here, since you just arrived, and watch the front of the house and I'll take the walk. See you in a bit."

* * *

Asking around, it seems that Elsa had continued spending her time with Jean-Pierre and the two of them, according to one of the servants, had left the great-room by way of the hall that led back to north residential wing which contained Britta's and Helga's rooms, and, for the summer, those of Jean-Pierre.

Anna grabbed Helga and some candles and headed down the hall in search of her sister. On the ground floor, Helga explained, were a few sitting rooms and small dining room, and the bedrooms were upstairs on the second and third floors.

Looking into one sitting room and the dining room revealed nothing, but as then proceeded down the hallway, they could see faint light emerging from the ajar door of the remaining sitting room. As they approached, Anna could hear the faint sound of voices, one with a distinct Gallic accept and the other she recognized as Elsa's, though they were too distant to make anything out.

Just shy of arriving at the door, the voices stopped. Other sounds could still be heard, though, movement of people and, maybe furniture?

Helga grabbed Anna's arm, stopping her approach, and whispered, "Maybe you don't want to go in there right now."

Anna turned back to Helga, "What, why?"

But before Helga could respond, there was a wordless cry, like that of surprise, from the room, and the temperature suddenly dropped, so much that they could now see their breath misting in front of them.

Anna twisted free of Helga's grip and burst through the door. "Elsa?!"

There was only the lighting of a few dim candles on the far side of the sitting room. Seemingly in response to Anna's entrance and calling out, there was some sudden movement from amongst the chairs and couch, unclear to the Anna and Helga, though, due to the insufficient illumination.

Taking a few steps further in, she saw Jean-Pierre suddenly standing up, in shirt-sleeves, his cravat undone, and few moments later Elsa, her hair a bit mussed.

"Oh…" breathed Anna, comprehension finally dawning on her.

"Anna! We were just talking and, uh, playing chess," Elsa rapidly explained while trying to straighten out her hair. And, in fact, there _was_ a chess board laid out on the table near the couch from where the two seemed to have emerged, though there appeared to have only a few starting moves made.

Anna now could not stop smiling at her sister's discomfiture. "Sure, chess," she teased.

Elsa blushed as she strode past Anna and out of the room. "Come on, let's get back to the party." Jean-Pierre, his jacket draped over one arm, nodded to Anna and followed quickly after Elsa.

"It's made of ice!"

Anna turned back toward the voice. Helga was standing next to the chess board, holding a piece in her hand.

"What's ice?" asked Anna, confused. The room was quickly returning to its normal temperature.

"The chess board. We have one, but it's still packed away," Helga said, pointing towards a cabinet along the side of the room. "This one is made of ice."

Anna walked over to see it for herself. The board and the pieces _were_ made of ice. Instead of the standard black and white, the colors were two variations of ice-color, clear and a misty-white. Elsa had made her own chess set with her magic.

"It's you." Helga now held a piece in her hand, offering it to Anna.

Anna took it dumbly. It was, in fact, a crystalline ice figurine of herself in her coronation dress. Looking back to the board, she could see the rest. On the misty-white side, among the standard chess pieces, stood a king and queen, but not the usual sort, but tiny statues of their parents, King Agdar and Queen Irdun. Glancing to the other side, in the king's position stood a figure of Elsa herself, in her ice-queen dress, the queen's position now vacant, presumably to be filled by the piece she now held.

"Wow," said Anna, putting the 'queen' of herself back in place on the board.

"It's not melting," noticed Helga. "Do you think we can keep it?"

"I guess so," said Anna. Then, realizing how much time had just passed, she spun and headed back to the hallway to return to the party and find her sister again.

In the hall, however, there was no sign of Elsa, presumably having already re-entered the great-room, but by the door was Jean-Pierre, his cravat back in place, shrugging his jacket back on. With a determined stride, Anna quickly approached the man, grabbed him by the cravat and pulled him down to her level so she could address him, face to face.

"You better have treated her right! It's been hard enough for her just to get out, and if you've upset or hurt her, so help me, I'll—"

Jean-Pierre held his hands up in surrender, "Your Highness, I assure you, I have been a gentleman at all times. I did nothing with without your sister's precise permission. In fact, it was more often she who was encouraging me…"

"So what was with the sudden cold front?"

He clumsily shrugged, his head still being pulled low and his arms stuck up. "She was startled, I think. She said it was acceptable for me to touch her, er, more intimately? But I think that when I did, she was not truly ready, and so, the ice."

Anna let go and gently pushed him back to full height. "Well, you stick with being a gentlemen, and there won't be any trouble."

Smiling, he bowed to Anna, "Yes, Your Highness." Holding open the door to the great-room, "After you, my lady."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

\- There, PascalDragon, see what you made me do! :)

\- Heh, the frenchman surrendered.


	27. Chapter 27 - Plans

**Chapter 27 – Plans**

The carriage bounced along the cobbled streets once again, the summer night cool and the sky now dark. A long, but enjoyable, evening with new friends had left Elsa tired and ready to return to the quiet of the residential wing of Arendelle castle. But it struck her with only slight surprise that Anna was still full of energy, as evidenced by her still continuous colloquy.

"…and spent the whole year traveling around Europa, only to find that she was in Arendelle the whole time. And so he returned and went to her parents' house to find her, but she had left to look for _him_, their ships practically passing each other in the fjord! It took another two months of letters going back and forth from cities in Europa and Arendelle until they figured out where they both where. They were finally able to actually meet, in person, for the first time in almost three years, in Paris. Well, they decided to not take any more chances of being separated and got married right there in the great Temple of Jupiter…"

One wouldn't think that the unstoppable flow of words could be considered relaxing, but for Elsa, having been estranged from her sister for so long, Anna's voice, right here, with her now, was the most wonderful sound in the world.

"…ten thousand kroner. _That's crazy_, he said, _it can't cost that much_. But with the drought and the forest fires, that kind of wood was harder to get, so it was more expensive. So he had to agree, or the whole plan would be ruined, but he didn't have all ten thousand, only five thousand. He could _get_ the other five, but he needed time. So he had half sent right away, and they started building with that, and later got the rest. But apparently, due to the some changes in the humidity and temperature and other things, the rest of the wood, which he didn't get until the next year, was a slightly different color, so now it looks like it was two houses stuck together in the middle…"

Rounding a corner, the carriage now followed a road that ran high along a ridge, providing a scenic view of the fjord, lit by the glow of the half-moon, a few scattered ship anchored amidst the water.

"…her sister, her sister-in-law, and _her_ sister, and all their daughters, went to the dress shop at the same time to get new dresses for the upcoming big family dinner. They get there, and her _mother_ is already there! So now that's a total of ten women and girls, who all needed new dresses. For the men, though, it was just her father and her brother, and they already had their uniforms, so they didn't need anything, except maybe new shoes…"

Elsa could now see the castle in the distance, as they rode through the mercantile district, the long boulevard eventually transitioning into the causeway that crossed the inlet and led to the castle complex proper. She felt a pang, a bit of nervousness, as they approached. Here she was, _outside_ of the castle, in the town, while until only recently, she had been ensconced within, never leaving, never to leave. It struck her, irrational she knew, that if she returned to it, she may never be able to leave again. But Anna's voice quelled her; it was Anna that had given her the strength and the love to finally control her powers, and release her from her confinement.

"…until later that winter, when it was finally cold enough. Once it was frozen, he buried it in the back yard of his house, where he hoped it would _stay_ frozen at least through the spring, and hopefully a bit in the summer. Unfortunately, the spring came quickly that year, with _lots_ of rain, remember? And the whole yard turned to mud, and couldn't find it again…"

The moonlight now shined in through the window by Anna, lighting her features, casting odd shadows along her face and shoulders. In this light, her freckles paled to near invisibility, giving her a more mature aspect, belying her youth, hinting at the woman she would one day grow to be.

Lost in her reverie, Elsa finally noticed that Anna had stopped talking.

"Sorry, what?"

"Jean-Pierre," Anna repeated, "do you think you'll see him again?"

"I don't know. He is only in Arendelle for a few more weeks, and I'm so busy…"

"Well, I think you should. He's a royal, sort of, right? Think of it as part of the open-gates, re-establishing relationships with other kingdoms policy."

"Anna—"

"I know, I'll invite him to the castle for a royal dinner. Nothing big, just a few people, it'll be nice. Hey, I'm just doing my job as your official emissary!"

Elsa sighed, smiled, and nodded resignedly. Once again, she found herself unable to deny her sister anything. May as well get used to it.

* * *

Elsa woke shortly after dawn. The day was happily free of any official functions, nevertheless, Elsa took her breakfast in her office and got an early start on the stack of paperwork and correspondence.

The load wasn't heavy, and she worked uninterrupted until mid-morning. Having completed the required tasks, she pulled out her portfolio and eagerly dived into work on her special project.

There was a knock on the door. Elsa looked up, not sure how much time had passed, engrossed as she had been, but glancing to the grandfather clock across the room, she saw it had only been a little over an hour. Knocking meant is wasn't Anna; Anna didn't knock on her office, she just burst in.

"Come."

The door opened, and a castle page entered. A short man dressed in the colors of Arendelle, he stepped into the room, bowed, then rose again. "Your Majesty, a message."

She waved him over and took the message. Nothing official, of that she was certain, the paper was plain, common stock, and it was simply folded over, no seal. And on one side, in simple script, it was marked "Queen Elsa." She flipped it open.

_Finishing supplies in Ice Town. Meet me at Dag's Tavern in Ice Town in the morning. – KB_

_Excellent!_ Thought Elsa. _He's ready earlier than I expected._

Grabbing some stock, a much finer grade than the one just delivered, she scripted an acknowledgement, folded it over _properly_, and, lighting a candle of colored wax, sealed it with her official stamp, the snowflake and crown.

"Give this to the messenger and have him take it back to the sender."

The page took the letter, bowed again, and with a "Your Majesty," turned to the door.

But before he could leave the office, Elsa called out, "Oh, and once you've done that, if you can find Olaf somewhere around the castle, please send him to me. Thank you."

With an additional "Your Majesty," the page exited.

Elsa returned her attention to the papers in the portfolio open on her desk. _A few final touches_, she thought, and got back to work.

A short time later, there was another knock on the office door. "Come!" she called, without looking up.

Elsa finished the bit she was on, then lifted her head. Standing by the door was a guardsman, young, she observed, probably no older than Anna, his light, blond hair cut short and his uniform still worn uncomfortably. Most likely a new recruit, she thought. Hell, he even still had freckles.

"Yes?"

The young guardsman shifted nervously. "You sent for me, Your Majesty?"

Elsa frowned. "No, I don't think so."

"Guardsman Pitrsen said you wanted to see me…" he managed to say.

_Pitrsen? Why would…_ "What's your name, guardsman?"

"Skogjeger. Olaf Skogjeger."

Elsa smiled. "I had asked for Olaf to be sent to me. Olaf, the snowman."

The guard broke into a smile as well, "Oh, yes, Your Majesty. The other guards have been joking with me about that, since I signed on. Probably just Pitrsen and the others having fun with me again, sending me." He shuffled his feet, "Um, I could go find him, Your Majesty—"

"Yes, that would be great, but wait a moment."

Elsa pulled another sheet and quickly wrote a note, simply folding it in half this time. "First, take this to Captain Krog for me, please."

Skogjegger, his nervousness a bit abated, took the note and bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Alone again, Elsa pondered the recent encounter. The guards joking around with a new recruit like this, while perhaps unprofessional, was harmless enough, and built comradery. She recalled her father talking to her some about it, years ago, about how men bonded together, army units or navy crews. And so if she was subject to some of the spill-over from that bonding, it was for a good cause. And, she further thought, that if the guards felt they could include _her_ as part of the joke, then they were bonding with her as well. Which means they accepted her. And, of course, that they weren't afraid of her, not afraid that, perhaps, she might freeze them just out of anger or spite, or by accident. It was, she supposed, a good sign. She wasn't sure she would have felt the same way about herself, not too long ago.

* * *

A note to Yakob and another to Kai, and things around the castle should be taken care of for a while. All she had to deal with now was Anna. It was almost time for lunch and Anna hadn't come bursting into the office yet, all full of talk and energy. She didn't come _every_ day, but most. It was probably just the late night, and maybe a few too many glasses of champagne.

She found her in the dining room, holding her head and sipping a drink, disturbingly bright red in color.

Anna looked up when Elsa entered, and managed a weak smile. "Oh, hi Elsa. I was going to come by your office, but I'm not feeling so good, and one of the cooks, I think it was Rolluv, said that he could make a drink that would make me feel better, but I don't know which is worse, my head or this stuff."

Elsa smiled back sympathetically, having dealt with a similar affliction a few days earlier.

After a few unusually quiet minutes with Anna, Elsa's lunch arrived, some cold, sliced meat, cheese, and some pickled vegetables.

"Anna…" Elsa started.

"mmm" replied Anna, not looking up, still clutching her head.

"Earlier this week, when you were acting as my regent for the morning… you enjoyed that, right? It was fun?"

Anna finally raised her head from her hand and looked at her sister. "Um, I guess so. Sure. Why?"

"I was hoping you could do it again for the next couple days?" Elsa asked gently. "I've already had Yakob clear the schedule of any meetings or court sessions, so you'd only need to actually take care of anything unexpected, okay?" Elsa finished quickly.

Anna sat up straight, her headache forgotten. "Why? What's going on?"

"I am going to be away for the next couple days," Elsa started to explain, "and just want someone to—"

"Going where? Is something happening? Are the Southern Isles or Wesselton or someone threatening to attack and you have to sail off to freeze their ships to stop them?"

"What? No, nothing like that. I'm going to the North Mountain—"

"The North Mountain? To your ice palace! But I want to come with you!" Anna cried out, standing.

"I know…" replied Elsa, hands clutched together nervously. "But the ice palace isn't the way you saw it last. It's… changed. Damaged. I don't want you to see it that way."

"Damaged? How? What happened?"

Elsa explained, "Well, after you and Kristoff left—"

Anna crossed her arms. They didn't exactly _leave_ the ice palace; Elsa had a snow-monster throw them out.

"—I lost control of my powers again, and the palace started changing. And then Hans and the guards from Wesselton came and attacked, and I was using my powers to stop them, and then the chandelier crashed down… and I don't know what might have happened after that. I only know it's still there because of reports from the militia's alpine division."

Elsa looked to her sister for any indication of understanding, but Anna stood her ground, arms crossed.

"And so, I need to fix it," Elsa continued. "I put all of Arendelle in an eternal winter, and so, as Queen, I needed to fix what I had done. The same with my ice palace, it's just… more personal. It's part of me, and I need to fix it too."

Anna's expression started to break, beginning to understand what her sister was saying. She dropped her arms.

"I _want_ you to come, I really do, but I need to make it right first…"

Anna rounded the table, and pulled Elsa in for a hug. She could feel Elsa trembling, and so just held her. Finally, after a minute or so, she pulled back just enough to face her sister directly, foreheads touching. "How long do you need?"

Elsa stood straight, still holding onto her sister. "Two days?"

Anna nodded. "Okay. No meetings or anything, you said, right?"

Elsa nodded.

"Great," exclaimed Anna, "I can finally spend some real time with Kristoff."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kristoff is going to be with me."

"Hey!"

* * *

Karl Lugdahl sat at his desk and read the letter again. It was from Arendelle castle, from Master Kai, the Seneschal specifically, detailing a request for furniture. Quite a bit of furniture.

Arendelle castle has done business with the Lugdhals before, of course. As the leading manufacturer of high quality furnishings in Arendelle, they had been the provider of choice for the castle for many years, decades, actually, almost a century. Those orders had stopped some thirteen years ago, when King Agdar closed the castle gates for what were, at that time, mysterious reasons. With that isolation, there apparently was no need for new furniture, and since that time, there had been no requests, no communication of any kind, from the castle.

The castle's closed-door policy came to an end with the queen's coronation. And with the gates now open, there will be guests in the castle once more, diplomats, dignitaries, even foreign royalty. And, it seems that thirteen years of neglect has left Arendelle castle in desperate need of some renovations. And that meant furniture, a great deal of it.

Only a few days ago, Karl Lugdahl had held the opinion that the new Queen was a disaster for Arendelle, her powers doing great harm to the land and the people, and her politics and policies ruining trade and commerce. He had feared that the family business would be greatly harmed, perhaps would even have to shut down. But what damage had been done, she had committed to recompense, and those efforts had actually resulted in an improvement of the Lugdahl family business' situation. And this recent requisition just firmed it up. He might even need to hire more carpenters and other laborers to complete this work.

He had met his new Queen just a few nights prior, at the City Dinner. Seeing her from afar, of course, during the formal dinner like the rest of the attendees. But later, during the reception, he was able to meet her up close and in person. She was just doing the rounds, he supposed, her duty as host to exchange some pleasantries with every party. But when it was finally his turn, when he was finally able to see her in such close proximity, he found himself stunned by her beauty. He had taken her hand and said something, he was sure, though he now had no clear memory of what it may have been. But whatever it was, she responded with a smile that just enhanced her already glorious portrait.

He already knew she was intelligent, from the actions taken since the coronation, and that she was well spoken, despite her years of isolation, from her speech at the aforementioned dinner. Magical as well, however that was to be valued. And they _said_ she was beautiful, but he had no idea how true that was until that moment.

And he now found himself captivated by her, so much that he actually purchased a drawing of the queen from a street artist, a humorous sketch of her and that living snowman of hers, so often seen about town. But it was a good likeness, and he now glanced at it where he had hung it on the wall near his desk. His mother had teased him a bit about that.

He shook his head in an attempt to dismiss this new infatuation. But this letter meant he would need to go to the castle, soon, to speak with Master Kai to finalize details of the order, and he wondered if there would be an opportunity to meet her again, hopefully for more than the few seconds he had prior. And again later, as there would be multiple further visits are the furniture is delivered. He shook his head again, what was he thinking? Did he imagine that he could court her? She was a queen, and would likely marry a prince in the not too distant future. That's what royals do, not fraternize with commoners.

Though there were those rumors about that ice harvester and Princess Anna…

* * *

Jarl Stigen looked up when the door opened and Edlen Enberg entered. Captain Stigen was once again officer of the day and didn't like the look on Portmaster Enberg's face. "Again?"

Enberg nodded. "Three of them, and not a family this time. Requesting asylum. Two of them are, anyway. The third one, well I don't understand Slavic, but the man makes colored lights appear around his hands and then points up the hill to the castle, so I'm pretty he wants to stay as well."

Stigen stood, straightening and brushing off his naval jacket. "There's an official royal policy now. Admiral Ørsted circulated the orders. You hold onto them for now, and I'll arrange for an escort for them to the castle."

Enberg nodded again and headed back for the door, then stopped and turned back to Stigen. "Not exactly what we were expecting, is it? New queen gets crowned, and we thought it would be just back to normal life, the most exciting things to deal with would be smugglers or a stowaway. Instead, our new queen is a powerful sorceress, attempted assassinations, political turmoil, and Arendelle becomes the destination of choice for wandering magicians. It's like one of those fantastical fictions my kids like to read."


	28. Chapter 28 - Interpretation

**Chapter 28 – Interpretation**

Elsa arrived in the castle courtyard shortly after dawn. The castle stablehands were already busy preparing six mounts, five from the Royal Guard's string of horses, and Sitron, formally belonging to Prince Hans, now used by Queen Elsa herself. Five royal guardsmen were also present, packing their cold-weather gear and readying their weapons, in preparation for today's excursion.

Elsa herself had dressed in a riding habit, one now actually tailored for her, unlike her last trip to the mountains when she had to borrow pieces from Anna's wardrobe, cut in the royal colors, purple and green. Upon her entrance, the guards and stablehands paused in their efforts and bowed.

Elsa nodded in return. "Thank you, gentlemen," she said in acknowledgement, then turned to the leader of their expedition, Lieutenant Hanssen. "Are we almost ready?"

"Just a few more minutes, Your Majesty, and we can be off." Lieutenant Alvar Hanssen was a tall, lean man, clean shaven, and starting to go bald. He had been with the Royal Guard for a just over ten years, having transferred to it from the militia, and had since risen to his current high rank, reporting directly to Captain Krog. He had been a member of her father's personal retinue whenever he had need to travel, infrequent though that had been, and was now the commander of hers.

Normally there would have been only three additional guardsmen completing the unit, but for this trip there was one extra, Guardsman Olaf Skogjeger, by the queen's own request. Having been the subject of his fellow guards' hazing, Elsa had decided to reward him for his stalwartness by requesting his inclusion on their upcoming travels, an assignment normally reserved for more senior guardsmen. A request from the queen, however, would not be refused without a pressing reason. And, it seems, there was none, as the junior guardsman seemed to be perfectly competent in managing his own horse and pack.

And, of course, rounding out the contingent, was the other Olaf of note, Olaf the snowman. The guardsmen had been studiously ignoring his antics, cavorting about the horses and men. Finally noticing Elsa, he came running towards her, stick arms outstretched.

"Elsa!" he cried out, arriving by her side.

Elsa leaned down and gave him a snowy hug, the snowflakes from his personal flurry tickling the back of her neck.

"Elsa, did you know that _his _name is also Olaf?!" he noisily whispered, holding one hand up to his mouth as if it would block his speech, the other pointing to the junior guardsman.

Elsa feigned surprise, "Really?" Then, leaning back down again to the snowman's level, she whispered conspiratorially, "Do you think they're _all_ named Olaf?"

Olaf sprang back, gasping in shock, looking rapidly back and forth for any additional surprises.

But before the snowman could make and further comment, Lieutenant Hanssen stepped up and announced, "We're ready, Your Majesty."

Elsa turned and approached her steed, Sitron, whom the groomsman had just finished saddling and packing. "Hello," she said to the horse. "Are you ready for a ride up to the North Mountain?"

Elsa felt a bit odd talking to a horse in this way, but she knew that _this_ horse was not like other horses. This horse had a magical spirit within it that gave him greater stamina, greater speed… and greater intelligence. And so it didn't seem right to Elsa to treat him with any less respect than she would another person. Communication wasn't easy, the horse couldn't talk, of course, and he didn't have a human to speak for him, like Sven had Kristoff, but he seemed to be able to make himself understood.

And, in response to Elsa's question, Sitron bowed his head as if nodding, and scraped at the ground in anticipation and eagerness to get under way.

Elsa paused for a moment in consideration. "You've been there before, haven't you, at my ice palace? With Hans."

Sitron looked back at Elsa, and she was sure she could feel concern in his gaze. He nodded again, slowly.

"That encounter didn't end very well. I almost didn't survive it myself. Well, you don't have to worry about getting mixed up in any more of his machinations."

And in response, Sitron rubbed his nose against Elsa's sleeve, which Elsa took as appreciation.

As Elsa moved around to the side of the saddle, a groomsman approached to assist her in mounting. But Elsa waved him off and pulled herself up and into the saddle. It wasn't as if the groomsman would be accompanying them on this trip, and so she needed to be sure she could manage such matters herself.

Grabbing the reins, Elsa was about to turn Sitron towards the courtyard exit, but was surprised to see a bleary-eyed Anna at the castle doorway. She wore a robe over her nightdress and stood in her slippers, but there she was, and Elsa's heart leapt that Anna managed to drag herself out of bed at this hour to see her off. Of course Gerda, who stood behind Anna, likely assisted the effort.

Anna rushed over to where Elsa and Sitron stood, and the sisters exchanged a hug, awkward due to the height difference, Elsa being mounted and Anna still on ground level.

"I know you said I didn't have to get up to say goodbye, but I _had_ to get up to say goodbye!" declared Anna.

Then, after releasing her sister from the embrace, Anna turned her attention to Sitron, the horse. "And you better take care of her, do you understand me?" To which Sitron managed a bow, giving his word to Anna.

"We'll be fine," said Elsa, patting Sitron on the side. "I have the royal guard to assist him as well, so we'll all be fine."

"Hmm," said Anna, "I wonder if we should make Sitron a member of the royal guard. I hear they do that now in Corona."

* * *

It was still early when Kristoff came down from his room in Dag's Place for breakfast in the commons. One of the nicer rooms now, not the small room at the end of the hall, half full of supplies, and certainly not the stables like when he was a kid. He had money now, and could pay for one of the nicer upstairs rooms, the ones with actual beds and furniture. It still felt a bit funny, though, after just barely getting by to now being able to afford the good rooms.

"Thanks, Margott," Kristoff said to the serving girl laying out his breakfast. Eggs, bread, some cold fish; he still ate like a normal person, though he could afford that expensive juice now, the kind they squeezed from fruit imported from the Southern Isles.

"If there's anything else you need, just call me. _Anything…_" Margott smiled at Kristoff before turning away to mind her other duties, a smile that seemed a _bit_ more than just friendly. Margott was probably about the same age as Kristoff, pretty, with long, dark hair. He knew her from all the times he'd stayed at Dag's, and she had always been nice enough, but she hadn't really paid him that much attention before, but now…

"Bjorgman! You here?"

Kristoff pulled his gaze away from Margott's retreating figure and turned towards the voice.

"Master Alversen, I'm here." Kristoff stood and walked to the man standing in the doorway. He was relieved that it was Alversen, and not Elsa; he had finished collecting all the supplies he needed yesterday, or so he had thought. He had already sent the message downhill, to the castle to let Elsa know he was ready. It was only later when he was repacking his sled that he noticed that some of his cargo wasn't right. He had rushed back to Alversen's shop to exchange it for what he had originally requested, but he was out of stock. But Alversen said he could get it to him tomorrow, first thing. Had to be, Kristoff insisted, his "client" was arriving early and can't be delayed.

But Alvensen was good for his word, and he had the proper equipment and supplies there on his cart.

"Pull it around back and we can load it onto my sled."

Behind Dag's Place, next to the stables, was Kristoff's new sled, mounted on wheels at the moment, loaded full, a tarpaulin tied down over it. Kristoff unknotted two corners of the covering, flipped it back, and started rearranging the gear to make room.

It only took a few minutes to unload Alversen's cart, but Kristoff wanted to move things around some more, for better balance, to make it easier for Sven to pull, so Alversen lead his horse and cart back around to the street and started back to his store. It only took another few minutes, and once done, Kristoff tied the tarpaulin back down, and headed back around the inn.

Reaching the front of the inn, Kristoff noticed two of the royal guards stationed by the entrance, and another a bit further down the road, tending to half-a-dozen horses. Looking back to the guards by the door, Kristoff was pretty sure recognized one of them, Kurtzfel if he remembered right, from around the castle. The guards turned towards him as he approached, but they clearly recognized him as well.

"Master Bjorgman." Kurtzfel and the other guard stood at attention upon his arrival.

"So, uh, the Queen's here?" Kristoff asked, realizing the stupidity of the question as he asked it.

"Inside, sir," replied Kurzfel, nodding his head in the direction of the door.

"Um, thanks." Kristoff scratched the back of neck, nervously. Was he supposed to salute or anything? They weren't doing anything special, so he pushed the door open and re-entered the commons room.

Inside, things were a bit more agitated. Elsa was sitting at his table, a guard standing nearby, while Margott attempted to serve her some tea, and Åsta, Dag's wife, who had emerged from the kitchen, was yelling to someone down the hallway to go get her husband (_why?_ _because the Queen is here!)_ The handful of other patrons, mostly other independent ice harvesters and couple travelers, just stared in stunned amazement, both at the Queen as well as at the walking, talking snowman busily introducing himself.

Kristoff approached, the royal guard watching dutifully, and bowed. He wasn't sure how much or how long he was supposed to bow. He wasn't royalty or nobility, but he had a royal-sponsored position, but did that actually count for anything? He hoped he got it right. "Your Majesty."

He could see Elsa smiling and nodding approvingly. It was "Elsa" in private, but "Your Majesty" in public. He was still working on that, too.

"Master Bjorgman, it is good to see you this morning," quoth Elsa in her best "Queen" voice. "Are we about ready?"

Kristoff resumed proper standing posture. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Well, I've only just been served my tea, and I see you've barely started your breakfast," Elsa waved towards Kristoff's untouched food, "so I think we can take a few minutes."

About fifteen minutes later, Kristoff was in the stables, getting Sven into his gear. That complete, he lead Sven out to the sled to be hitched up where he found Margott, apparently waiting for him.

"So, you're really working for the Queen." She came close, touching his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah. I'm the Official Ice Master and Deliverer." Had she changed her dress? No, she'd just taken off her apron, but without it, he could see a lot more of, um, her.

"Well, when Her Majesty is done with you," she murmured, leaning in close, pressing up against him, "you be sure to come back and visit the people you knew before, hmm?" Margott drew her hand down Kristoff's arm playfully then stepped away. She walked backwards a few steps smiling back at him, then turned coquettishly while grabbing her discarded apron from a nearby cart and disappeared back into the inn.

Kristoff stood, staring into the now empty courtyard. Sven gave him a bump in the back, waking Kristoff from his stupor. "Yeah, that happened."

Kristoff finished rigging Sven to the cart, and led him around to the front of the inn where Elsa and the royal guards would be waiting.

* * *

They left Ice Town on the North Road, one of main avenues into the mountains. There were other trails that they could have taken, like the East Road which Kristoff had used on his last trip, collecting ice off of Mt. Ørjas. But today, the North Mountain was their destination.

A small crowd had gathered outside of Dag's Place before they left, and Elsa had felt it necessary to talk to them a bit before heading out. The royal family had been isolated from the people of Arendelle for so long that Elsa now felt it paramount to take any opportunity to reconnect with them whenever possible. And it was almost becoming commonplace that whenever she traveled in public, there were calls for her to make it snow. Usually from the children, but not always.

Once outside of Ice Town, there were a few buildings, a few outposts, a farm or two, then finally just the wilderness. Clear of civilization, the local fauna could be seen on occasion, when not spooked by their sortie.

The trip would take most of the day, according to Kristoff. This was longer than usual, he explained, mostly because they couldn't go at the usual speed. The primary reason was Sven was pulling a fully loaded sled _up_ the mountain; normally, the sled would be nearly empty, just tools and some supplies, when climbing, and full, loaded with ice, when coming down. And due to that full load, they couldn't take the most direct paths, as they were steeper and had sharper turns. The full sled required them to follow some alternate directions, along trails that didn't climb or bend quite so severely. Therefore they expected to arrive at the peak of the North Mountain late in the day, around the time the sun was setting.

The next several hours were spent quietly riding. They climbed hills, followed trails along ridgelines, and cut through a few passes. These were well established routes, well-trodden by hooves of horses and reindeer, and the runners of ice harvesters' sleds. With the gain of altitude, there was a corresponding drop in temperature, and the combination of quiet contemplation and cool air had Elsa feeling rather contented.

Finally, they broke for lunch. They were now quite high, so despite it being late summer and the sun overhead, it was quite cool, almost cold. They had climbed the forested trails of Mt. Grønnløype, traversed the Gråstein Pass, and would soon be approaching the summer snow line. The guards took the opportunity to switch to their cold weather gear, and Kristoff himself had put on his heavier coat. The only ones unaffected were, of course, Elsa and Olaf.

"So, this is nice," commented the snowman. Not needing to eat, nor needing to change clothing, there wasn't anything productive for him to do. During the climb, he rode mostly with Elsa, discussing the various merits of vegetable crops grown on the Arendelle farms that they passed. After leaving Ice Town, he moved to the sled with Kristoff, but eventually migrated to ride with his namesake, the junior guardsman, from whom he got a detailed description of the native wildlife.

The traveling party sat in a small circle around an unlit campfire pit that they found a short distance from the main trail. Kristoff had noted it as they approached, knowing the location from having used it a number of times in the past. One of the guards distributed the packed lunches that they had brought with them from the castle, while another ventured further off the trail to collect fresh water from a nearby stream.

While the humans, horses, and reindeer ate, the snowman animatedly bounded around in circles about the camp site. "You know these trees stay green all year long, while _these_ trees drop their leaves in the fall? And some of the trees we saw at the bottom of the mountain grow actual fruit!"

Elsa listened to his continuous monologue about the trees and his other observations. It was odd, she thought to herself; Olaf can talk fluently in Norse, and seemed to have some knowledge, but was ignorant in other aspects of the world. She had to wonder where he got _any_ of his knowledge. It certainly wasn't by her direction; she hadn't even known she was giving him life when she created him. Perhaps it was from that mysterious source of information, that intelligence that Professor Ångström had suggested. There certainly were mysteries related to her power that she wished she understood. Perhaps another visit to Grand-Pabbie Troll would be in order.

Lunch and contemplation complete, they party remounted their steeds to resume their travels. The rest of the trip would be a good bit more arduous, rockier, steeper, and, of course, the snow. And the snow started becoming noticeable shortly after they embarked, becoming definite within the next hour, and after two, it was thick enough that they had to stop to allow Kristoff time to remove the wheels, converting his to sled back to its proper form.

From that point on, the trail was covered, and they would be depending on Kristoff's experienced navigation to guide them. While the cooler air she enjoyed earlier was nice, the mountain as it was now, blanketed in snow, simply felt right. Elsa had to resist the urge to hop down and scoop up armfuls of the white stuff.

It took four more hours of travel, climbing along thin ridges, dragging along sleep slopes, clambering up along the now rocky heights, before reaching the summit of the North Mountain itself. By now, the sun was falling low, and only because of their great height could they still see it, it having dropped below the mountain peaks. The horses now moved quite slowly, their legs sinking deep with each step. And after a short distance, Elsa recognized their location, the very spot where she made the choice to throw aside her limitations and embrace who she truly was. To let it go.

Climbing just a bit further, they rose to the top of the ridge, and could now see it. An intricate and filigreed stairway crossed a chasm and lead to the grand entryway of a glorious edifice of ice. Or so it should have been; half the balustrade of the staircase was gone, fragments of broken ice lay scattered along its steps, and high up where a balcony would open up to greet the rising run, the doors lay askew and a rampart of ice stood rudely in the middle. And this was just the most obvious evidence of her most recent encounter, she know it to be much worse within.

Steeling herself, she dismounted Sitron and called to her party to follow her inside. But before they could get too close, a great pile of snow next to the base of the archway rose up, forming the shape of a giant.

"Go away!"


	29. Chapter 29 - Alternatives

**Chapter 29 – Alternatives**

Anna waved as Elsa and the guards left the castle courtyard. She understood that Elsa still felt she needed to "fix" things. Well, kind of. Anna was happy to finally have Elsa back in her life, but Anna didn't always understand Elsa. But if Elsa said that she needed to do something, Anna would support her, even if it meant not seeing her sister for a few days.

Elsa's party now gone, Anna twirled back towards the castle. But before completing the maneuver, she noticed something. "Huh, that's weird."

It was the sunrise. It wasn't like she had never seen a sunrise before, but rarely in this configuration. Anna tended to sleep late, usually needing the castle staff to wake her if there was anything important she needed to get up to attend, rare though that was. And so, she rarely saw the sunrise. She'd seen it more often in the winter, since the days are so much shorter and the sun rises later. But in the winter, it rose in the southeast, coming up over the fjord. Now, in late summer, it rose in the northeast, lighting up the city and the ships at the docks. She couldn't remember ever seeing it quite like this before. It was beautiful.

But after only a few moments of appreciation, Anna's contemplations were interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach. She was up, so no point going back to bed. Besides, with Elsa gone, Anna was temporary-Queen, so it would be interesting to live the day like Elsa. But first, breakfast.

Sitting now at the _head_ of the family dining table, Anna sipped at the pale yellowish juice Gitta had served her. It was a bit bitter and made her tongue tingle. But that's what Gitta said Elsa usually drank in the morning with her breakfast.

"Are you sure, Your Highness?" Gitta seemed surprised first by Anna arriving so early, and then by Anna asking to be served Elsa's usual breakfast. "It's not like what you usually have."

But Anna insisted. And a few minutes after the juice, there came the rest, some bread with butter, and a plate with slices of cheese, meat, and fish. Cold.

It was okay, but not really Anna's thing. But she made the best of it, putting the meat and cheese between a couple slices of bread and making a sandwich out of it. She tasted the fish, but it was wasn't her thing. And it was bit too _pink_, which just didn't seem right. So she left that behind.

Breakfast, such as it was, complete, Anna now contemplated her next course of action as temporary-Queen. Elsa had rescheduled any official meetings, so she didn't have to deal with any of those, so what was left for Anna to do with her regal powers?

Anna returned to her room to get dressed properly for the day. Pree, now officially Anna's lady-in-waiting, was, in fact, waiting in Anna's room, a dress laid out on the bed, hair brushes and ribbons laid out upon the vanity.

Pree curtsied. "Good Morning, Your Highness."

"Hey Pree!" called out Anna. "Oh, good choice for the dress." Anna sat down in front of the vanity and Pree proceeded to brush out this morning's case of bed-head. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, there was a knot. Well, several—"

"Do you think we should do something fancy with my hair? You know, because I'm Queen today?"

"Well, I can—"

"Except there's nothing to Queen at today, so I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Of course, Your High—"

"But then as Queen, I can make something happen, right?"

"I guess—"

Anna spun around, so fast that Pree lost her grip on the hairbrush which remained stuck fast in Anna unruly shock of red.

"Hey, what do _you_ do when you have a day off? When _you_ decide what you want to do?"

The brush now out of reach, Pree clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, I usually visit my mother, and sometimes meet a few of my friends and go into the town."

"Hmm," declared Anna pensively. Anna turned back to the mirror, and so Pree took the opportunity to extricate the hairbrush and resume her work. And after several further minutes of diligent effort, Anna's hair was wrangled into an elegant up-do.

Shortly thereafter, Anna emerged from her room, now properly accoutered. "Pree, please find Master Kai. There's some Queen stuff I want to do today."

* * *

A little less than an hour later, Anna was in a sitting room with the recently summoned Helga Alweign, working out the details of their day.

"So I've sent word to Chef Hellstrøm that we're going to have a luncheon, but he needs to know for how many," Anna began. "I'm not sure. I want to invite all my friends, but then I realized I don't have that many… I've been stuck in the castle for so long, I don't know that many people. Some of the castle staff, I guess, but that's not the same thing. But then I thought of you and all the people I met at your party, and that would be great, but I don't know if I can really call them _friends_ yet. I can say _you're_ my friend, though, right?"

"Oh, I hope so, Your Highness—" Helga said excitedly.

"Great! So if you're my friend, if there's nothing _royal_ going on, call me Anna, okay?" With Helga's eager nod, Anna continued, "So, do you think we can get many of them to come, I mean it's pretty short notice and all…"

"Actually," suggested Helga, "we could invite my sisters."

"Huh? I though you only had one."

"No, not Britta, my _sister_ sister. She's busy with her Lieutenant Lovey-Dovey all day, anyway. No, I meant my sisters, my classmates at Madam Siggen's Finishing School. You know about Siggenskole, right?"

"No…"

"Really? Madam Tarja, our year's housemistress, says you would have been a student with us, in _our_ year, if the King hadn't closed the gates. Queen Elsa would have attended too, for a while anyway, until she would have gone back to the castle to learn how to be Queen and all. But _you_ should have been with us! Anyway, school doesn't start back up for a few more weeks, our final year, but most of everyone should be in town, so a lot of them should be able to come."

Anna was quiet for a few moments. "I was supposed to go to school with you? In town, with other people?"

Helga nodded. "Madam Tarja says that Arendelle's princesses have been coming to Siggenskole for forever, it's a tradition. She said it was actually quite a controversy when you _didn't_ come. Princesses and other noble's daughters from other kingdoms attend the school too, though there isn't anyone special there right now."

"Okay, let's do it! Do you think they'll come? I mean it's just me, not Elsa."

"Are you crazy?! An invitation to the castle? Of course, they'll want to come. And even _more_ because it's you!"

It took another hour to get all the invitations written, addressed, and finally handed over to Master Kai to be sent by messengers across the city. That completed, Anna and Helga continued their strategizing.

"So, we'll already have a bunch of people in the castle," plotted Anna, "so they'll already be here for the next part. There was this troupe of actors performing in the courtyard the other day, a play about a princess and a tiger and a lamp or something like that, I'm not completely sure… but it looked great! So I've sent them a note asking them to perform their play here in the castle, in the ballroom, this evening."

"Sounds like it's going to be a great day," Helga noted excitedly.

"Yeah. I just wish Elsa was here for all of it. She's been doing all the hard work of being queen, so it seems unfair that I'm doing the fun stuff." Anna stood up and began pacing in thought. "I'll just have to have her make me queen again, and my first order will be that she has fun. We can do some of the same kind of things, have nice lunch with friends, maybe not so many, she prefers it a bit more quiet and personal, and a play or a concert after, though I think she'd like something a bit more serious. Maybe something from history put to music… something like _The Decline and Fall of the Great Southern Empire: The Musical_!"

* * *

"… and so Signi went around telling everyone that Thalia had moved to Terra Nova. So when Thalia actually arrived back at school, she had to get all her stuff from storage since it had all been packed up to be shipped away!"

"I told you, I was tricked," exclaimed Signi in her own defense. "_Petra_ told me that Thalia's family had moved away, and _you_ never told me it wasn't true."

"Oh sure, blame Petra when she isn't here to defend herself."

The nine women, all sitting around a large table in the castle's formal dining hall, talked and laughed, telling stories and such. Ravnhild, the instigator of the latest exchange, sat next to Helga, who herself was sitting next to Anna, who held the position at the head of the table being both the gathering's hostess, and, of course, current regent of the kingdom.

The serving staff were currently clearing the dishes from the main course and were now pouring glasses of a honey mead that was recommended for the princess by Chef Hellstrøm himself. Anna had tried a few sips earlier and was surprised by its sweetness. Not strong or sharp, like the wines Elsa seemed to favor. This was much more her style, and agreed that it be served along with the dessert, a delicious krumkake with lingonberry sauce.

The luncheon was going wonderfully, in Anna's opinion, the seniors of the Siggenskole having immediately accepted Anna as an honorary member of their class. They told stories of both their adventures and their tragedies since they started their time together at the school ten years ago. Anna could only imagine what her life might have been like if her parents, the King and Queen, had decided to enroll her in the school, instead of keeping her in the castle, behind the closed gates. Instead of the loneliness, she would have had all these girls as her constant companions, as her _sisters_. They couldn't replace her _real_ sister, of course, but for all that time that Elsa refused to be with her, to interact with her in any way, she could have had these sisters instead. Who knows how things would have been different.

"… so would you want to, and do you think the Queen would let you?"

"Sorry, what?" Anna realized that she had gotten a bit lost in her thoughts and had missed Ravnhild's question.

"Join us for our last year at the Siggenskole? Arendelle princesses are supposed to attend, and now that the Queen has opened the gates… do you think she'd let you?"

"Wow. I… I don't know. I mean, I guess so. But Elsa, um, the Queen, wants me to help with some queen-stuff… but then she also wants me to learn more about the world so I _can_ help her with the queen-stuff…"

"I'm sure if she told Madam Tarja what she wants you to study, they'd arrange things for you. I mean you _are_ the crown-princess. And when you have royal duties to perform, the castle is just a short carriage ride away."

"Oh." Anna now really had to think about it. Now that she had Elsa back in her life, she was reluctant to do anything that would keep her away, but Elsa worked on queen-stuff and had meetings, so it wasn't like she sees her much during the day anyway, and she'd only be in the town, not another country or anything, so they'd still see each other all the time, and it would only be for one year, then she'd back at the castle full-time, able to help with the queen-stuff all the better. But then she _couldn't_ leave Elsa all alone again, not after all this time…

"I don't know. Maybe. I'll have to talk to Elsa about it, of course."

"Of course," agreed Ravnhild.

"Hey," jumped in a new voice, Corinne, from near the other end of the table, "remember the winter during out third year when there was _so_ much snow that we couldn't even get out of the dormitories for a week? Ran out of bread, milk, and eggs after three days, and we were just eating soup for the rest of the time until they could finally dig us out. Housemistress Maivi was getting so crazy being trapped, she was ready to start digging out herself…"

* * *

After the luncheon, there were still several hours before the performers would be ready to start their production, which Anna had since learned was something of a musical version of an old fairy tale called _Aladdin_. Anna remembered reading the story a long time ago, something about a kingdom and boy and a djinn granting wishes, but she couldn't really remember the details, and she had read a lot of fairy tales when she was little, and alone.

So, to fill the intervening time, Anna decided to give her new friends a tour of the castle.

"…and this is another sitting room, we call this one the Red Room, because, well, that's the color of all everything in it." Anna opened the door and stood aside for the group to look in, showing the fourth such room, this, as described, equipped with a divan and several chairs, upholstered with a fine, red velour, and the walls adorned with a wine red wallpaper embellished with a gold filigree.

The circuit had comprised the various rooms around the main level of the castle, starting with the throne room, stopping by the several receiving areas, circling the ball room, checking each of the private sitting rooms, revisiting the formal dining hall, and finally arriving in the portrait gallery.

"…which came from the Frankish Kingdom around 1260 A.L., if I'm remembering what Professor Lugdensen said."

"It must really be something to live in a castle," said Sittona, who had otherwise been quiet for most of the tour. "I mean, we all have nice houses, but it's nothing like this."

"Well, it's not really the same, is it," countered Signi. "We don't need to hold court or receive foreign princes, do we. So the castle has to be so fancy and ornate. But not very personal."

"Well, Elsa and I actually _live_ up in the private residential wing up on the third floor—"

"You know, it's kind of like how it is for Thora," contributed Vigdis from the back of the group.

"Who?"

"Thora Ingendatter. She's in our class, but she came to the Siggenskole different from the rest of us. She's an orphan and attends on a scholarship. I mean, nothing wrong with that, Freya knows, she's probably the smartest one of all of us. But since she has no family, she actually lives at the school, even during breaks over the summer. Well, sometimes she stays with one of us, but essentially the _school_ is her home. So she has her room, which is _hers_, but the rest of the school is like the castle, all formal and for a particular purpose."

The comparison struck Anna. That amongst all the women in "her class", she, a rich princess who has servants and lives in a castle, might have the most in common with someone who attended the school on charity.

* * *

With the afternoon concluded, they moved on to the evening's entertainment. Since the theater troupe and the castle staff were going through so much extra effort to set up a royal performance at such short notice, Anna and Helga had decided to invite more people to see it, to make it worth the trouble.

And so, in the ballroom, the stage was constructed at one end, curtains and false walls erected to allow the performers an area for preparation, and several rows of chairs arranged on ever increasing risers. The chairs ultimately ended with an improvised "royal box," two much nicer chairs on their own risers, set above a bit from the rest.

Now, had this all been happening with Elsa in the castle, it would be Elsa with Anna as her companion. But with Elsa away, and Anna as regent, Anna's the royal-in-the-box, and so who would be her companion? She'd invite Kristoff, but he's off climbing up the North Mountain with Elsa. Then, maybe Helga, since they had been together for the day setting everything up, but _she_ wanted to sit with her sort-of boyfriend. ("_Well, he's attending the University of Oslo, so I don't see him a lot, but when he's back in Arendelle, he calls on me, so I don't know…"_) So having run out of ideas, Helga suggested that she invite the only other royal in Arendelle at the moment, Jean-Pierre, Viscount of Mont Blanc.

"So…" started Anna, "been doing anything interesting lately?" People were still getting to their seats, and protocol was, to Anna's surprise, that the royals would be the last to be seated, and only _then_ would the performance begin. And so, in the meantime, Anna and Jean-Pierre waited in the comfort of a near-by sitting room.

"Well, since I have only a short time left in Arendelle before I must return home, I have taken the opportunity to sail about the fjord, taking in the beauty of the water and the heights, and of the mild temperatures." Jean-Pierre smiled and took a sip of wine, then continued. "I see you have taken to your newfound authority with aplomb and produced an exciting production on short notice. And your selection of guests, inviting only from the more youthful of social circles, has caused quite a stir. You are the talk of the town."

Anna blushed. That people in town were talking about her, the spare, was funny. But as long as she had Jean-Pierre here, she decided to find something out.

"We all enjoyed ourselves at Helga and Britta's party… um, you like Elsa, right?"

"Yes, of course. I quite enjoyed our time together that night."

"So… would you be interested in courting her?"

Jean-Pierre raised his eyebrows in surprise at the content and directness of the question. "Court her? Well, it's not quite so simple a matter as that."

"It isn't?"

"We are royals, your sister, you, and I. And as royals, we have certain duties. You see, my father is the Duke of Savoy, but it is his intention that my brother inherit a kingdom. And to create a kingdom, one must have allies, strong allies. And nothing cements an alliance like matrimony."

"Well, if you have to marry another royal to make an alliance…?"

"Elsa is a charming, intelligent, beautiful woman, and were we to be joined, I believe we might actually be happy together. But by this time next year, I will be the consort of the Princess Rosalia of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. My brother is already married to a princess of Genoa, and my little sister will one day wed an heir to the Duchy of Parma. It has already been negotiated and planned out. I fear this will be my last visit to Arendelle for quite some time."

Anna was quiet, thinking. She knew that she was expected to marry another royal, but also that Elsa wouldn't force her. Marrying a prince was always so romantic in the stories, and that was probably part of why she fell for _Prince_ Hans so easily. But to think it was really so much more like a business arrangement was depressing, and she felt sorry for Jean-Pierre.

* * *

Despite the discomfort caused by her conversation with Jean-Pierre, Anna enjoyed the performance. While it didn't seem to stick too close to the original story, Anna was particularly entertained by the Djinni character, painted all in blue and telling the silliest of jokes.

Afterwards, she gathered with most of her original luncheon party, their companions, and Jean-Pierre, for a light evening meal, drinks and sandwiches. They were set out on a balcony on the rear of the castle, that provided a view of the mountains, the sun now starting to set along the peaks.

Her day as Queen had gone very well, finding new friends having a wonderful time with them. But nibbling on a sandwich and gazing up into the heights, she couldn't help but feel that it all would have been so much better had Elsa been here with her. She could only imagine what Elsa was doing right now.


	30. Chapter 30 - Renovations

**Chapter 30 – Renovations**

"Go away!"

Elsa wasn't sure what had happened to her giant snow guardian; the last she had seen it was while it was fighting off a party lead by Prince Hans. She had retreated into the ice palace where she was then chased by the men from Wesselton. The fight had ended with the collapse of the great chandelier, knocking her out, and she had not been back until now. Word was, according to the guards who had accompanied Prince Hans, that Hans had fought her guardian and caused it to fall into the ravine, the damage to her icy staircase that crossed it having been caused by that very meleé.

The snow-giant took two steps closer and raised it arms. The guards responded, two pulling their swords and the rest raising their crossbows.

Elsa turned back to the guards. "Stop! Let me take care of—"

"Marshmallow!" Olaf ran past the guards and past Elsa, wooden arms outstretched. And to Elsa's shock, her guardian stopped and looked down at the diminutive snowman that approached it.

"We're all friends, now, we're all friends!" Olaf called out to his larger companion. "You remember Elsa?" Holding his right hand up to his mouth, as if telling a secret, "She _made_ us!"

The snow giant look up from Olaf and gazed towards its creator. "Elsa," it said hoarsely.

Cautiously, Elsa stepped forward. "Hello."

The guardian, _Marshmallow?_ watched Elsa as she approached.

Now next to Olaf, Elsa kneeled down to talk to him. "How did you get it to stop?"

"Marshmallow? We're friends now! Oh sure, it was rocky start, with him throwing us out of your palace and everything. But after, I came back up to visit and it's all good now!"

"You came up here to visit? Why?"

"Marshmallow and I are kind of like brothers, right? You made me and you made him and that's special. You don't create snow-people just _any_ time. I mean it's not like, I don't know, you might _sneeze_ and out would pop a bunch more little snowmen." Olaf shook his head vigorously. "That'd be craaaaazy!"

Elsa stood back up and looked up to Marshmallow. "I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner." She half turned back towards the party of Kristoff and the guards. "But like Olaf said, these are our friends now. I know I had you keep them away before, but things were very different then."

Coming closer, Elsa noticed that there was something wrong with the giant's left leg. Just above its "knee," the leg didn't seem to be attached correctly, as if glued on crooked.

She approached, slowly, her arm stretched forward, until she was touching the damaged leg. Looking upward, Elsa declared, "The one who did this to you, however, is _not_ a friend."

Here, up at the peak of the North Mountain, the highest point in Arendelle, Elsa once again felt one with the wind and sky. She reached out and her power came easy to her, so easy that perhaps it was already there, streaming through her, just waiting for her beck and call. Forwarding her icy, arcane senses, she could feel the damage in her snow guardian. Elsa attempted to recall what she had done to summon this creature in the first place, but it was beyond her. Grand Pabbie said such things were within her power, but at the time, she was panicked, and just wanted to get Anna and her companion, Kristoff she now knew, away from her, away from the danger that she was.

Nevertheless, she knew enough to accomplish her current task. The wind picked up and snow swirled and rose from around her and moved to circle about the giant's leg until it could no longer be seen. But after only a handful of seconds the storm cleared, revealing the limb, now whole and undamaged. The snow giant lifted and lowered the leg several times, as if testing it, and finally looked down at Elsa and smiled.

Turning back to her party, she called out, "It's getting dark. We can spend the night in the palace and start our work in the morning."

But then, noticing the sleigh, reindeer and horses, she glanced around, considering. Finally, she strode through the guards, and, once past them, raised her hands towards the rocky outcropping they had passed upon arriving at the peak. Beams of ice rose out of the snowy ground, forming walls, then split, angling up towards the rock to form a roof. It was a simple structure compared to the icy monolith behind them, but it was large enough to house Sven and the horses and store the sleigh, protect them from the wind and snow.

Lieutenant Hanssen, unfazed, as if this sort of thing happened every day, called to his men, "Skogjeger, Handlemen, take the horses to the stable and prepare them for the night. The rest, grab supplies for the night and get them into the ice castle."

Kristoff leaned forward. "Come on, Sven, let's get this stuff put away and I'll get you something to eat. I packed extra carrots!"

* * *

In a short amount of time, the guards had carried their supplies into the palace and were setting up for the night. Elsa had repaired the staircase leading to the palace, not wanting anyone to accidentally fall into the ravine, but it was a quick, basic job, nothing that matched the original design, just enough to ensure safety.

Inside the palace, the guards were unpacking their gear and preparing a fire for heat and food. Elsa glanced about, but there wasn't much noticeable damage on the main level. Nervously, she approached the foot of one of the wide staircases that led up to the landing, from which further stairs climbed to the upper level. From this position, looking up, she could see some of the signs of what had occurred. The ice seemed discolored, and a few jagged spikes could be seen protruding from the walls high above. She feared what she would see when she went up.

"Are you okay?"

Elsa turned to see Kristoff standing behind her, a concerned look on his face.

"So much happened here," replied Elsa, "both good and bad. I created this place when I finally felt free and could finally embrace my powers, because I was far from everyone I might hurt. But it didn't last. First you and Anna came, and I hurt her. After that, I struggled to control my powers again, and it all changed."

Elsa paused, her voice catching. "And then Hans and the other men came, and we fought. They tried to kill me, and I—" Elsa clutched her hands together, "—I almost killed them." She paused again, collecting herself. "So much darkness… "

"Well, I'm not Anna," said Kristoff, "but I'll go with you, if that would help."

Elsa smiled weakly, peering up into Kristoff eyes. "Thank you. I'd like that."

Together, they slowly climbed the first flight, arriving on the landing. Passing through the opening to the foot of the next two flights, she had a much clearer view of the damage, and hesitated.

Sensing her nervousness, Kristoff started to reach out to Elsa, but stopped. He can't just, what, _hold _her or anything, right? She's the Queen. And she's _Elsa_. But she wasn't going up the stairs, so he needed to do something.

"It's a palace made of ice."

"What?"

"You created a beautiful, fantastic palace made of ice," Kristoff stated slowly, trying to explain. "With your powers." Not getting a response, he pointed back to the atrium, "And you created a living, breathing snowman! Well, not breathing… with your powers. And the sculptures in the library, and making is snow for kids…"

Realizing he was rambling, Kristoff stepped closer to Elsa and, so what if she's the Queen, held her by her arms. Looking her right in her large, blue eyes, he tried to make his point. "You can make wonderful, beautiful things with your powers, because it's _you_ doing it. The stuff up there," he nodded his head upward, "that's the past. Easy to clean up. So come on, let's go. I know you can do it."

Elsa looked back up at Kristoff. "I don't know, it's just that—"

"Tell you what, _I'll_ take care of it. I got my tools back in my sled. Hey, pieces of Queen Elsa's Ice Palace? I bet I could get some good money for that!"

At that, Elsa's despondency finally broke, and she smiled. "Okay, you win. Besides, the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer can't be found profiteering."

Taking his left hand in her right, she turned and headed for bottom of the next set of stairs. Catching her breath, she turned back to Kristoff. "Are you ready?"

It took less than a minute to climb the to the upper level and the damage was immediately visible. Shards of ice, remnants of the great chandelier, lay everywhere. Peaks of ice rose in several locations, where Elsa had thrown up walls to protect herself, one with a crossbow's bolt still embedded. The doors to the balcony where she had once greeted the sunrise now lay broken, the railing shattered by the great wave that she had pushed against the man trying to kill her. The walls themselves were discolored, dark red and purple, with spikes protruding rudely.

Troubled by what she saw, Elsa squeezed Kristoff hand, which he squeezed back for support. "It's okay, you can do this," he said.

Releasing Kristoff, Elsa raised both her hands up and reached out to her power, and again it came readily and powerfully. And with the magic flowing through her, she could feel the essence of the ice around her, sense its very nature. She had been expecting something dark, something horrible…

But it was just ice.

And with that observation, her heart leapt, realization coursing through her like an electrical current. There was no good or evil in her powers; it was pure and clear as winter itself. The darkness had been in her, the result of thirteen years of believing that she was a monster and her powers her terrible aspect.

Anna had taught her the first lesson: "love will thaw", but until now, it was just another mantra to recite, no different than "conceal, don't feel." But Elsa could now feel the truth behind it. Love steadied her, helped to calm her heart and her mind, but so had letting it go. Both had allowed her get past her troubles and get a glimpse of her true essence, but now she knew it had only been a fleeting one.

However, at this moment, she could see it clearly. Elsa, her spirit, her heart, her mind, her body, her power, were one. And she didn't reach out to her power, because it was not necessary, the power was always there, part of her, no different from her own arms and legs.

And she smiled.

Elsa raised her arms high, and a sudden burst of chilled, ice-glistened air billowed out from her, the stray fragments, spikes, and ramparts swept up in its wake, leaving a pristine, crystalline floor behind, Elsa's signature snowflake glowing from within. The wave reached the walls and turned upward, clearing the discoloration and the undesired protrusions, rising rapidly to the great domed ceiling.

Following the path of the effect, it appeared to Kristoff that Elsa had removed the curved roof altogether, but there was slightest of blur, signifying that she had created a great covering of the purest, clear ice through which he could see the stars now starting to appear for the short summer night. Breathlessly, he muttered, "Now that's ice."

Still staring upward, Kristoff was suddenly distracted from his adoration by a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," said Elsa, smiling.

"Oh, uh, sure," Kristoff clumsily replied, blushing.

After a few awkward seconds, Kristoff noted the smell of food rising from below. "Um, I guess dinner is almost ready. Maybe we should go down?"

Still smiling, Elsa said, "You go ahead, I'll join you in a bit."

Once alone, Elsa walked to the now open balcony and gazed out across the mountains. She could feel them, the snowy peaks, miles away, as much as she could sense the icy floor she stood upon. She stood there, quietly glorying in her newfound understanding, of her powers and of herself.

* * *

The short night passed quietly.

Elsa had joined Kristoff and the guards for a simple traveling dinner, then returned to the "royal suite," as the men had jokingly begun referring to the upper level. Lying in her makeshift bed, a pile of created snow, Elsa gazed up through her clear ceiling at the stars, listening to the wisdom they cast down from the heavens.

In the morning, shortly after sunrise, when Elsa hadn't come down for breakfast, Kristoff climbed the stairs again to check on her. As he neared the top, he thought he heard singing; something about letting something go, but he couldn't make any more of it out.

"Your Majesty, um, Elsa? Can I come in?" Kristoff called out before peaking the stairs, as to avoid any impropriety.

"Good Morning, Kristoff. Come in," came the reply.

Topping the stairs, he now saw Elsa sitting cross-legged on the floor, large sheets of parchment spread out around her. No longer singing, Elsa however continued to softly hum an unidentifiable but familiar sounding tune.

Kristoff crossed half the length of the floor to where Elsa was sitting and squatted down on his haunches. Elsa was now dressed in another of her ice dresses, this one covering her shoulders and arms, but also cut low enough to reveal the pale beauty of her majesty's royal treasures. Tearing his eyes away, he looked down at the drawings.

Elsa had given him some idea of what she was doing, though his role was more geared towards organizing the ice harvesters and other laborers needed for her grand plan.

"I want to actually use my ice palace, to bring Anna and other people there," she had explained several days ago. "When I created it, I was just letting go, releasing my powers that I had held back for so long. But I hadn't really given much thought about _design_. Just two large rooms, really. As a place for me to hide, it was fine, but for other people, it needs to be a bit more functional…"

And accessible, of course. While Elsa planned to improve her ice palace herself, with her powers, the trail to get to the North Mountain was difficult, really only navigable by the Alpine Division and ice harvesters. And so work would need to be done, to smooth out rough patches, mark out switchbacks to bypass several particularly sleep rises, to make getting there from Arendelle town easier.

Kristoff could understand some of the drawings, lines and curves forming a wall or the floor of a castle, but other parts he couldn't make out. But Elsa seemed very proud of them, picking each one up carefully, inspecting it, and replacing it back in a folio resting in her lap.

Finishing her collection, Elsa tucked the folio under her right arm and offered her left hand to Kristoff, who took it and helped Elsa to her feet.

"Thank you. Shall we get started? We all have some work to do today."

The guards had already collected and removed their gear from the main floor, and upon exiting the palace, Elsa and Kristoff could see that several had already begun work, digging a ditch around Elsa's ad-hoc stables, hammering some spikes into the ground, and standing some planks of wood against the ice, all from the supplies that Kristoff has acquired and Sven had diligently hauled up the mountain. While an ice-stables worked well enough for the previous night, a more mundane solution for service buildings would be needed long-term; the guards' current work would just be getting it started. Additional, more professional, labor would be required for the permanent structure.

Now at the bottom of the stairs, Kristoff and Elsa met Sven with Olaf riding along on his back.

"Hey buddy," called Kristoff. "Come to watch Queen Elsa do her magic?"

"Of course," replied Kristoff to himself in his Sven voice. "I wouldn't have climbed a whole mountain and missed that!"

* * *

And for Kristoff, it was definitely something not to be missed.

Great beams of ice rose from the ground, soaring sheets of the purest crystalline water threw themselves across the heights, and sunlight blazed as it was reflected and refracted through the most amazing frozen of creations. It was all he could do to keep from weeping in joy.

All the while, a snowstorm swirled about Elsa, obscuring any view of her person, as if she and the storm were, in fact, one. And as the great icy creation upon the mountain completed, the storm slowed, settling down upon her, until finally dispersing, leaving just Elsa, her dress looking ever so slightly stirred by the wind.

Elsa turned to see her audience all standing agape. She could still feel the power coursing cold through her, tingling her fingers, ready to be set loose if she so will it. But for the moment, her work was done.

Immediately in front of them was no longer the fine, arching staircase, wide enough for perhaps two people. Instead there stood a shorter flight, wide enough for dozens to climb. And instead of simply reaching across the ravine to the entrance, it now rose to a grand balcony spreading across the ravine to the palace entrance, an ornate, filigreed railing surrounding it, with tall, icy-clear obelisks rising at regular intervals along the edge.

Walking across the stretch of ice towards the main entrance, Kristoff noticed an interlocking patterns of snowflakes just under the surface, giving the floor an intricate and mesmerizing impression. He also noticed that the surface had a bit of texture.

"I made the ice just slightly rough," Elsa explained. "You and I might not lose our footing, but other people might not find it so easy."

The room just inside the entrance was mostly the same, open with two wide flights of steps along the far wall, rising to meet at a landing far above, with two more flights rising to the upper level. However, the icy fountain that had stood centered beneath the landing appeared to have been split, its own snowflake patterned base now cut in half and each part now placed to each side beneath the rising stairs. Along the far wall that had formally been simply the back of the palace, now held a great set of double doors, patterned the same as the entrance. Opening as the party approached, as if detecting their mistress's presence, they revealed a hallway, a great concourse leading on and into the new construction.

"I decided to leave these two rooms mostly the same. When I first created them, it was a very special time, and so I wanted to keep them. Upstairs, I've kept the new clear ceiling, and created seats all along the outer edge, so people can gaze into the night sky, or go out onto the balcony and see the mountains."

Just inside the new doorway were two more flights of stairs, great curving flights that rose from each side of the hallway climbing up and out of sight to an upper floor. "Personal quarters, for me, Anna, and any other guests. We'll be bringing in proper furniture on future trips." This was, of course, part of Kristoff new job, managing the ice harvesters turned mountain teamsters.

A bit further on, two more large sets of doors on either side of the hallway opened to reveal two great rooms. "A ballroom and a formal dining hall. Kitchens and storage connect through other doors inside, service hallways connecting back here further down the hallway."

There were a number of less ornate doors that led to other areas, such as a few sitting rooms, and hallways that led to additional service areas. The grand hallway led eventually to its end at another great portal. On each side of the doors rose a tall, icy statue. To the left appeared a man, armored in the traditional style, his hands resting upon the pommel of a sword that stood upon its point, the word _power_ appearing in traditional Nordic runes behind him. And to the right stood a woman, formally gowned, an icy rosemåling adorning the skirt and bodice, her hair braided in the royal style, her hands raised and outstretched, as if in offering, the word _love_ engraved behind her. And whether the two figures actually resembled the late King Agdar and Queen Idunn could be left to any observer to decide for themselves.

Beyond these doors was the last, great room of the renovated palace. It opened wide in a great hexagon, the now familiar snowflake emblazoned across its floor. Its translucent walls rose several stories, the roof peaking in a great, multi-faceted arched dome, a new icy chandelier hanging from its peak. Along the opposite wall, two steps rose to a semi-hexagonal dais, upon which sat the throne of the Snow Queen, while behind and above it upon the wall shined Elsa's royal ensign, the snowflake and crown.


	31. Chapter 31 - Escalation

**Chapter 31 – Escalation**

"Is it getting warm in here?"

Kristoff had spent the day following Elsa. Expanding the palace only seemed to have taken her a few minutes, but for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, Elsa would travel to each room or hallway, consult her notes and sketches, and make some modification. Expand this archway, add a design along that wall, combine these rooms, or completely redo that passage. She had totally rebuilt what would be the residential wing, and all with just a few sweeps of her arms.

And Kristoff just followed along, amazed at everything she did. It was ice, and it was beautiful.

And after working so long on the palace itself, Elsa headed out to where the guards were working to complete the outbuildings. She had already created a stable the night before, and now added a barracks for the guards and a storehouse.

And it was upon exiting the ice palace that Kristoff really noticed the temperature change. It was cold.

Of course it was cold, they were at the peak of the North Mountain. And inside an ice palace. But it was when they went _outside_ of said ice palace that Kristoff finally noticed the cold. And when they re-entered, he was doubly aware of the difference.

They were back into the room where Elsa had spent the previous night, part of the original ice palace, now converted to an observation pavilion, when Kristoff decided to ask.

"What?"

"I said, is it getting warm?" Kristoff repeated.

"Oh." Elsa seemed to be looking around, as if she could actually see the heat or the cold. But then, maybe she could.

"I mean it was cold at first, just like outside but without the wind. But through the day, I think it's been getting warmer. But in a palace made of ice? Does that make any sense?"

Elsa nodded, as if concluding something. "A palace made of _magic_ ice."

"Magic ice?"

"Ice that won't melt."

"Oh." Kristoff scratched his head, thinking about it. "But if the magic is keeping the ice from melting, shouldn't it be really cold, not warm?"

Putting down her portfolio, Elsa stepped over to Kristoff, took his right arm and raised it in front of him, hand palm up.

"This is regular ice," she said, swirling her hand in a circle above his. A small vortex of snowflakes twisted around and Kristoff could feel the cold gathering in his fingers as a small block of ice materialized upon his outstretched hand.

Kristoff knew what ice felt like, in all of its varieties. There was the ice that formed on a window on the first cold day in autumn; there was the ice chipped from a glacier, sharp and jagged; there was the ice that clung to his coat and his hair during a sleet-storm; and there was the ice that forms on the road after a long day's rain and a frigid night. This ice now resting on his hand was like the ice he knew best, carved from the surface of a frozen mountain lake, clear, cold, and wet.

"And this is magic ice." Elsa lifted Kristoff's left arm, upraised palm next to his other. Another block appeared, beautiful and clear. But it did feel different. Kristoff returned his gaze to Elsa.

"I don't fully understand it myself," she started, her left hand held in her right. "I've only been using my powers again for a little while now, so I'm still learning. When Anna and I were little, I just used them, but didn't really think about it. And after we were separated, I really didn't have control and most of the time just tried to stop them from working. But I did try to _learn_ about them."

"I read any books I could find in the castle about magic, but there weren't many. Papa sent for more from Europa and I read those as well, but they were more histories, not about the magic itself. And so I turned to science. There's a field of physics that's focused on the study of heat and temperature, called thermodynamics."

Elsa stood straight and continued, "In a closed system, energy will flow towards an equilibrium state. The change in the amounts of energy is called entropy, and can be measured mathematically." Noticing Kristoff's uncomprehending expression, Elsa paused. "In other words, the heat in the air will go into the ice, and so the air will become cooler, and the ice will warm up and, if warm enough, eventually melt."

Kristoff nodded. _That_ he understood.

"But now my _magic_ ice is special. The magic itself forms an adiabatic boundary. That is, heat cannot get through the magic and into the ice. That's why it doesn't melt. The heat from our cooking fires and our bodies has nowhere to go. It can't go into the ice, so it just stays in the air. And so, it gets warm."

And with a sweep of her hand, the two blocks of ice dissipated away in a shimmering cloud of crystals. "With more people here, it might actually get _too_ warm. I'm probably going to need to add some more windows."

Kristoff wiped his damp right hand on his shirt. "Huh. Regular ice to keep things cold, but _magic_ ice to keep things warm."

Elsa shook her head, "Not exactly. The magic ice is an insulator. Heat doesn't go through it. So if you want to keep something hot, cover it with magic ice and the heat can't get out. To keep something cold, cover it with magic ice and the heat can't get in."

"Sure," Kristoff exclaimed. "It's like the straw and sawdust we use in the ice storage pits and ice houses." Thinking a bit, Kristoff continued, "I suppose you could put a coating of magic ice around our storage buildings in Ice Town and down at the docks, it would keep our ice from melting, especially in the summer. But then you could also coat the hold of a ship carrying meat and fish, and now they don't actually need our ice, or not as much anyway. That wouldn't be so good for the ice harvesters."

"You don't have to worry about that," Elsa responded. "We already talked about it and I gave your guild-master my assurance that I wouldn't use my powers in any way that would interfere with your business. Besides, I'm just one person. I wouldn't be able to make enough ice to have any real effect."

"You did freeze the entire fjord."

Elsa turned away, looking a bit pained. "And believe me, I won't be doing anything like _that_ ever again."

* * *

The night passed as peacefully as the prior one. The guards took up lodging in their newly raised barracks, and Kristoff found that the stables, occupied for the last day by half a dozen horses and a reindeer, had, due to Elsa's magic ice, become quite comfortably warm and thus decided to camp out there. Elsa herself stayed in her palace, in what would be her own royal quarters. She was even able to furnish it with an ice-formed bed. It was comfortable enough for her, cushioned with a mattress of snow, though she preferred the real thing, bed made of wood and pillows of fabric and down, and planned to replace it with such soon enough.

Her slumber was interrupted a couple times, however, by the two snow-creatures that, as well as not needing to eat, apparently also did not need to sleep. It seems that they had chosen to conduct some kind of game that combined hide-and-seek and a snowball fight, using the ice-palace as their playground. It left a bit of a snowy mess, but that was tidied up easily enough in the morning.

They began their return shortly after dawn. Two of the guardsmen would remain, to keep an eye on the building supplies currently stored and more that would be arriving soon. Replacement personnel would arrive in a few days, along with additional equipment and supplies, to establish the ice-palace as a new permanent guard station.

"Are you sure?" asked Elsa.

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay up here on the mountain with Marshmallow for a while," replied Olaf. "He gets kinda lonely up here, all alone."

"Well, I plan to come back regularly now," declared Elsa to both Olaf and Marshmallow. "And bring more friends, too, like Anna and Kristoff."

"And Sven?" Olaf cut in.

Elsa laughed, "Sure, even Sven."

The decent was much quicker, being both downhill and with a much lighter load on Kristoff's sled. In fact, it only took about four hours to reach Ice Town, where they stopped to eat and allow the horses to rest.

Upon arriving at Dag's place, they were greeted by one of the coronation banners with Elsa's silhouette hanging over the main door. It seems that advertising that your establishment is the tavern of choice for the Queen of Arendelle is good for business. Proving the point, they found the commons room to be busier than usual for lunch-time, according to Kristoff, but the Queen's party didn't have any difficulty finding a table. In fact, there was now a corner table, freshly painted and partitioned off, conspicuously labeled as the _Royal _table.

Kristoff couldn't help fidgeting. "So, um, this feels is a little weird."

Elsa took a sip of her tea. "What does?"

"This. Lunch, with you, here," Kristoff stuttered. "I mean not it's not weird having lunch with you, we've done it before, and we're, like, friends now, right?"

Elsa nodded.

"But we're out where everyone can see, and they're all looking. And they're acting all super polite and everything… to _me_. Calling me _sir_. I'm just an orphan kid of an ice-harvester, I'm not special, like you and Anna."

Elsa looked around the commons room appraisingly. "I suppose growing up with guards and servants… always around, taking care of the castle and the family, I just grew up treating it as normal. Even in the years with the gates closed, we didn't have as many, but still, they were there. Anna, too, I suppose, but she's always been much friendlier with the castle staff. I had to keep my distance, because of my powers…" Elsa trailed off, introspectively.

Then, as if finally processing all of what he had said, Elsa turned back to Kristoff. "And you _are_ special." Elsa reached across the table and grasped one of Kristoff hands with hers. "_Especially_ to us. Everything that happened, it would have been so much worse if you weren't there. You took care of Anna, protected her, which brought us back together, which saved the Kingdom. I'd say that's special."

"But you and Anna are royalty. Your parents were King and Queen."

"Then I think that makes you all the _more_ special. We don't control who our parents are, it's just chance. Because of that, you had to work all the harder to become the man you are today."

Kristoff blushed a bit from Elsa compliments, and perhaps from her holding his hand as well. "Thanks," he finally responded, pulling his and free.

Glancing back to the main room, Elsa smiled. "And speaking of people thinking you're special, here comes our waitress again – Margott, right? – to check on us, _again_, and I think she's more interested in you than me…"

Once they had finished their meal, the group parted ways. Kristoff had further business related to Elsa's great project here in Ice Town, and so would remain behind. Lieutenant Hanssen, while they had stopped for lunch, had sent one of the remaining guardsmen ahead, down the remainder of the mountain and to the castle to inform the guards and castle staff that the Queen would be returning soon.

The path from Ice Town to Arendelle city proper was gentle, generally straight, and, most importantly to Lieutenant Hanssen, safe. Elsa was, therefore, able to convince her escort that it would acceptable for her to give her horse, Sitron, a chance to stretch his legs and put in a good run. Sitron had certainly been a patient and steady mount throughout this recent trip, but via their limited ability to communicate (Elsa doesn't speak horse,) she got the impression that he would enjoy some exercise. Elsa just hoped she remembered enough from her riding lessons, so long ago.

In the end, she managed to hold on well enough, and enjoyed the ride. They finally stopped by the edge of Lake Langsævann, just a few miles outside the city, where Sitron could get a drink and the guards could catch up.

However, after fifteen minutes, there was no sign of her guards, and Elsa began to worry. Patting Sitron's side, more to reassure herself than her horse, Elsa remounted and guided Sitron back up the hill. During their decent, in the joy of the run, Elsa and Sitron had not stayed strictly on the packed and rutted dirt road, but had veered off into a few fields and other grassy areas, returning to the path as the land curved. But now, she followed the road, as it was the more likely route of Lieutenant Hanssen and the remaining guardsman.

After another twenty or so minutes of cautious trotting, now away from town, Elsa and Sitron peaked a low hill to reveal a terrible sight. Just a short distance away down, at the bottom of a shallow depression where the road tracked between two hills, lay the bodies of her escorts, Lieutenant Hanssen and the other guardsman whose name, she now distractedly realized, she could not remember. A fired and dropped crossbow lay between them. Of their horses, there was no sign.

Slowly and carefully, they descended the depression towards the fallen men. Once close, she could see two crossbow bolts protruding from Hanssen's body, one from his left leg, and another near his shoulder, but he was still breathing. The nameless guardsman, however, had a bolt struck directly through his sternum, likely to have killed him instantly.

* SNAP *

Elsa turned her head towards the sound barely in time to see the approaching crossbow bolt. Her powers, however, reacted more quickly, embedding the shaft of the projectile in a ball of ice, the new mass skewing the bolt's trajectory enough for it to miss its intended target, bouncing instead off of Sitron's saddlebags.

Another * SNAP * and Elsa deflected another bolt with a wall of ice and reflexively shot an icy bolt of her own back in the direction the original came from, towards a copse of trees. There was a cry and the sound of retreating footsteps.

The immediate attack having been thwarted, Elsa raised both her hands directly upward, and summoned a turbulent ice-storm. During Elsa and Anna's trip to the trolls to restore Anna's memories, Elsa had come up with an ad-hoc method of signaling the guards, which worked well enough at the time. Afterward, however, Captain Krog had insisted on formalizing a set of signals that she could send by the various cold-weather events that she could generate. It was similar to the signal flares that some ships used, a slow-burning but bright, colored ember that would be launched into the air by bow or crossbow, to signal a ship's distressed condition. In her case, Elsa could use a few variations to signal different conditions: a light snowfall would indicate a delay but no danger, hail would indicate a need for assistance. And right now, Elsa summoned an ice-storm, indicating mortal danger.

Being a few miles out of the city, Elsa created her storm high in the air. Being on the trail leading _up_ to Ice Town, however, the city was in clear view and there should be nothing interfering with the storm being seen from the castle and raising the alarm with the guards stationed there.

It would, however, take some time for the guards to collect their gear and horses, and make their way to this location. Therefore, to protect herself and Lieutenant Hanssen from any further attacks, as well as the Lieutenant from the side-effects of her ice storm, Elsa created a dome of ice to surround them.

Elsa dismounted and approached Hanssen, to see to his wounds. She had never received anything close to medical training, only having learned the most basics of anatomy, and thus had no idea what she could to tend to the man's wounds. And so she did the only thing she could, lightly touching each site where an arrow protruded, and spreading a coating of ice to temporarily seal the wound.

Elsa guessed another half-hour had elapsed before she heard the thunder of hooves approaching with her guards. In only a moment, her dome was surrounded and she could Captain Krog's voice calling out orders to his men to spread out to scout for the attackers. Elsa lowered the dome.

"Your Majesty," addressed the Captain, bowing briefly. "We came at your signal. What happened?" Meanwhile, a medic approached to attend to Lieutenant Hanssen.

"An attack, from the woods over there," Elsa replied, pointing. "I had gotten ahead, and away from the road, and must not have been in position for the initial attack. When I returned to find them," she said, waving her hand towards the downed guards, "there were more shots, which I was able to deflect. With my power."

Captain Krog listened intently as Elsa described the recent events, nodding as she concluded, as if protecting herself with her powers was now simply to be expected. Guards emerged from the trees, calling out, dragging a bound man by his armpits, a wound, now packed, on his chest, near his right shoulder.

A guardsman-sergeant approached Captain Krog and Elsa, saluting. "We found this man pinned to a tree," he indicated their origin with an angled nod of his head, "with this stuck in his chest." The sergeant held up a shaft of ice, a bit greater than a foot long, about an inch in diameter on one end, and a sharp point on the other, now melting in the summer warmth. He glanced towards the obvious source, Elsa, Queen of the Ice and Snow, an impressed and admiring look in his eyes.

"One of the assassins that escaped from the party, I'm guessing," said Captain Krog, "trying to finish their job. We'll know for sure once we question him properly." The man was then taken to a horse and slung over, and two guards led the mount and prisoner away, back towards town.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanssen and the fallen guard were each placed in hammocks stretched between two horses, to be carried back to the castle as well.

Captain Krog spoke with another guardsman for a bit before sending him and three others off on horseback, back towards the trees.

"There appears to have been two attackers, which supports the suggestion that it was the assassins from before. No sign of mounts, so my men should be able to catch the last one."

Elsa, however, barely heard him. Now clear of the pressure of defending herself or the Lieutenant, the stress and adrenaline drained away, her knees gave way, and Elsa collapsed to the ground.

The medic rushed to attend to her, and calmly declared that she was simply in shock. Using a folded blanket as a pillow, he tried to make her comfortable and offered her some water. It only took a few minutes for Elsa to feel recovered… and a bit embarrassed. She was helped back onto Sitron's back, and they started back to the castle.

* * *

Anna waited nervously in the courtyard. She knew Elsa was okay, the guards that had already returned told her that, but she needed to be with her. Several times, she had to be stopped from just grabbing Starlilly, or any other horse she could get to, and riding off to meet Elsa halfway.

Finally, _finally_, Elsa and her guards arrived, and Anna bounced on his toes anxiously, waiting for Elsa to dismount, so she could give her sister the biggest hug _ever_. Well, maybe not biggest ever, that would probably be the one after she melted, but the biggest after that. And, Anna thought, she might not ever actually let her go this time.

But eventually she did, so she could look Elsa in the eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Really."

"Was is the assassins from Weaseltown again? The ones that got away?"

"That's what Captain Krog thinks, and I agree, it probably was. My trip was not a secret, so it makes sense that they might have laid in wait for me to return."

A deep voice from behind Anna spoke up, "If the assassins were sent by Wesselton, I'm surprised they're still trying to complete their contract."

Anna turned around and Elsa finally noticed the man. He stood a bit taller than Elsa, though not quite as tall as Kristoff, though he did have something of Kristoff's build. But he was clearly no ice-harvester. He had short dark hair, and a matching full beard, cleanly shaven, blue eyes, sharp nose, and square chin. His clothes were of good quality, but appeared to be less formal, more designed for travel, especially the boots. He stood back from where Anna and Elsa, hands in his pockets.

"I'm sorry? Why wouldn't the assassins want to finish their job?" Elsa asked.

"Because Wesselton is dead. Good riddance, too."

"Yeah," Anna jumped in, "that's what Minister Skarsgård is saying all the sailor are saying."

"Found dead in his office," the man continued. "No wounds or signs of poison, so they guess his heart failed. That assumes he ever had one, the bastard."

"Excuse me," interrupted Elsa, "who are you?"

"Oh, sorry!" Anna jumped in. "Elsa, this is Prince Henrik of Liknes. He showed up a couple days ago saying he needed to see you. I told him you were away for a few days and that I was regent, but he just said he needed to talk to you, and it had to be you, wouldn't tell me why. He's a prince, so, we got him a room in the castle and I just tried to keep him occupied while he waited. First I showed him around the castle, and then took him around the town. Hmm, I hope people aren't getting the wrong idea… Anyway, Prince Henrik, this is my sister, um, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Henrik bowed formally. "Your Majesty, I am honored to meet you."

Elsa turned back to Henrik, "So, Prince Henrik, what's so important that you need to talk to me?"

"Oh no," Henrik raised his hands, "you've just returned from a very stressful situation. My needs can certainly wait until you are recovered."

"I'm fine," countered Elsa firmly. "What does the Kingdom of Liknes need of me?"

"Very well," he folded his hands in front of himself, bowing again. "My documents and bona fides are in my room, but it is essentially this. On behalf of my grandfather, King Herbjørn of Liknes, we beseech Your Majesty's good graces, offer our gratitude and, if acceptable, our subordination to your hegemony, in return for your protection and unique favors."

Anna blinked a few times. "What?"

"The Kingdom of Liknes is offering itself to become part of Arendelle," Elsa explained flatly. "If do something for it that only I can do."

"Oh!" said Anna, thinking. "And what do you want Elsa to do?"

"Your Majesty," Henrik paused, taking a breath, "We would like you to freeze our Kingdom."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

yes, it's real, you're not imagining things, it's another chapter of Dangling Threads, _finally_.

I know it's been a while, but I had gotten a paying side-project, and working on it took up all my free time that I would otherwise have use for fanfic. But I finished it a few weeks ago, and was able to get back to writing again, and it's great to be back.


	32. Chapter 32 - Wait, What?

**Chapter 31 – Wait, what?**

"Wait, what?"

"I think you should succeed me as Guild-Master," Henriksen repeated.

Kristoff shook his head in disbelief and had no idea how to respond.

They were in the commons room of _Odin's Beard_, a tavern in the center of Ice Town that also served as one of the headquarters of the _Ice Harvesters and Carvers Guild_. Lars Henriksen, guild-master, sat at his usual table by one of the hearths, Kristoff standing nearby.

Kristoff had come to the _Beard_ to see Henriksen, of course. The initial trip to Queen Elsa's ice palace now complete, he now needed to co-ordinate with the other ice-harvesters to start shipping further materials, and that was being done through the guild. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but the guild already had the organization he needed for the project, so for Elsa's sake, he put aside his misgivings and would work with Henriksen. He thought he might have to put up with a few of Henriksen's taunts, but he never expected to hear these words.

"Guild-Master? But I'm not even a member!"

"Sure you are," countered Henriksen. "You pay the fees, you're a member. You might not work with the guild teams, but you're still a brother."

"Oh." Kristoff pondered the revelation a bit. "But _guild-master_? Why me?"

"I'm getting on in years, and my remaining leg has been hurting me something awful lately, making it difficult for me to travel between here, downhill, and the fields. So I've been considering who should take over for me. You'd probably think I'd support a loyal guild-man, but I think we need something different. So why you? First off, you already have a connection to the Queen. But also, because you're an independent. If I just brought in another guild-man, nothing would change. He'd just continue doing things the same way we always have. But as independent, you'd see things from the outside, have a clear view of what's working and what's not, and be able to make things better for the guild and all ice-men."

"But the other harvesters wouldn't support me. They'd want another guild-man."

"I wasn't planning on turning over the pick and saw to you this afternoon. It will take a little time, but the rest of the guild will get to know you better. You're bringing in more work to your fellow harvesters with the Queen's project, and will be working more closely with the guild men on it. So they'll get to know you better, and the extra kroners in their pockets from the new work will help free up some attitudes."

"Oh," Kristoff repeated. "Um, I guess I'll have to think about it."

Henriksen nodded, "You do that."

* * *

"Elsa, you in there?"

Anna slowly opened the door to Elsa's bedroom to find her sister sitting on the window seat, staring out over the castle towers and the fjord, her legs drawn up under her. Anna crossed the room, sat next to Elsa and took her sister's hand in hers.

Elsa wiped away a tear with her free hand. "He wants me to freeze his kingdom? Is he crazy?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't know. I don't _think_ so. I mean, I guess he has a good reason, right? You don't decide to give your kingdom away just for laughs."

Elsa sniffed and took a deep breath, attempting to regather her composure.

"I can't do it. I hurt so many people when I froze Arendelle…"

Anna paused thoughtfully. "Well, not exactly."

Elsa pulled her hand back, defensively. "What do you mean?"

Anna stood back up and faced her sister. "A bunch of ships got damaged when the fjord froze over, but Helga told me that Britta told her that her fiancé told _her_ that everyone got to shore safely, walking on the ice. And there was a bit of crop damage, but you know about that. A couple roofs collapsed, but they don't really count; an Arendelle building can normally take a good bit of ice and snow, but these were half taken apart already and were being worked on because it was summer. A few people slipped on the ice and got hurt, twisted ankle, that sort of thing. But that's about it. No one actually _died_. Well, except me, but I got better!"

Elsa twisted back towards Anna and sat upright, feet now on the ground, giving her sister her full attention. "How do you know all this?"

"Like I said, Helga told me about the sailors. Yakob told me about the roofs, but he got that from a report from your something Commission—"

"Reconciliation" said Elsa, softly.

"—Yeah, Reconciliation Commission. And Captain Krog told me about the slips, since they happened in the courtyard." Anna bit her lip pensively. "And I heard something else kind of funny…"

"Funny?"

"Funny weird, not _funny_ funny. So, the crop damage, that was because the ice coated the stalks of wheat or whatever, which got too heavy and broke. But I heard this from both some guards and some servants… In town, you know some people have gardens or flower beds, and they got covered in snow during the Big Freeze. But when you thawed everything, and the snow flew up into the air, the plants and flowers were all okay. Some say they were better than before the snow."

Elsa sighed resignedly, then stood up. "So where is Prince Henrik now? I supposed I should talk to him."

"Not sure. After you ran off, I found Master Kai and asked him to take care of Henrik. Probably in a sitting room or back in his suite, I guess."

"Who is he? What's he like? You spent a couple days with him."

"Oh. Um, he seems nice enough, I guess. Very polite and agreeable. Kind of quiet until you hit a subject where he has an opinion, then he's pretty vocal about it. You just heard his views about the Duke of Weaseltown, which I'd say we agree about. Some of the things did talk about seemed kind of funny for a prince, agriculture and kinds of rocks."

"Liknes is a largely agricultural kingdom," Else supplied. "We used to import grain from them."

"Oh, so I guess that makes sense. Well, it's not like I've had that many other princes to compare him to. Just Hans of the Go-stick-it-where-it-will-never—"

"Anna!" Elsa interrupted.

"—huh? Oh, sorry. So yeah, maybe a _not-evil _prince is actually interested in his own kingdom. He seems smart. Beat me at chess a couple times. So, yeah, that's Prince Henrik. So what's going on in Liknes that he wants you to freeze it? That does seem kind of a weird thing to ask."

"I don't know. Like I said, we used to import grain from them, but stopped some time ago. Five or six years, I think. I'd need to check Papa's journals and speak to Minister Skarsgård for more details."

Elsa stood up purposefully, having regained her equanimity. "In fact, I think I will do exactly that before speaking any further with Prince Henrik. I can depend on you to keep him entertained for a few more hours?"

"Sure, I can do that. I think I figured out his strategy last time we played chess, so I'm sure I can beat him this time."

* * *

Elsa found her secretary in his office and had him send a message to the Trade Minister requesting that he come meet her at the palace in two hours' time. She put it off for that much time because Elsa realized that she had only just returned from a three-day excursion and an attempted assassination, and she really needed a proper bath and change of clothes.

Elsa sipped her tea as Minister Skarsgård explained. "Through much of your father's reign, we imported between 2,000 and 3,000 quarters of grain per year from Liknes, primarily wheat, barley, and oats. Six years ago, that had reduced to 1200 due to lack of supply. Arendelle shifted its imports mostly to Gothenburg and the Southern Isles for the difference. The following year, there was no grain available from Liknes at all."

Elsa put her now empty cup down on her desk. Minister Skarsgård had arrived bearing the requested information regarding trade with Liknes, while Yakob has assisted Elsa in locating any older documents bearing to any treaties or agreements. They now met in the Queen's office.

"Do we know the cause?"

"Not definitively. No official explanation came from Liknes, and rumors simply stated that they were having poor harvests. Under normal circumstances, inquiries could have been made, but given His Majesty's closed gates policy at the time, it was not pursued."

Pouring herself a fresh cup of tea, Elsa spoke of her own findings. "From what I have found in the royal records, Arendelle has had informal contact with Liknes for several centuries, primarily through trade. But we have never had any official connection, no treaties or trade agreements, and so the default tariff was collected on any goods brought in by merchants. Nor has there been any royal visits between the two kingdoms. Prince Henrik's arrival is the first."

Elsa took a drink and continued, "And why would he want me to freeze his kingdom? If they've had crop failure, cold will just make it worse."

Minister Skarsgård shook his head. "I do not know, Your Majesty. Did his documents not explain it?"

"I have decided that I will officially receive his request in count on the morrow, but we will have a formal royal banquet tonight to official welcome him to Arendelle. You and your wife will be able to attend?"

"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."

* * *

While it was a small affair, as an official royal function it was still held in the Royal Dining hall on the main floor. Elsa, now formally attired, sat at the center of the table while Anna, as crown princess and also formally dressed, sat to her right. Prince Henrik had clearly come prepared, as he now wore a dark formal suit, complete with sash and insignias of office, and sat to Elsa's left.

Across the table sat Elsa's invited guests. Were this another kingdom, other nobles, dukes and counts and such, would have been invited. However, Arendelle lacked an aristocracy beyond the royal family, and so Elsa invited other worthy persons.

The meal had begun late, at the insistence of Chef Hellstrøm, in order to give him and his limited staff enough time to prepare a meal suitable for a royal reception. But given the long summer days, the sun would only now be setting, were it not for the range of mountains that lay to the Arendelle's west. And thus they dined by oil lamp and candle light.

"Prince Henrik," began Elsa once everyone had been seated. "I must apologize for the nature of our initial introduction. While I may not be officially receiving you until tomorrow, I hope this dinner will serve as an adequate, if informal, welcome."

Henrik smiled, his white teeth contrasting against his dark beard. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Princess Anna had made me feel most welcome while we waited for your return. And I look forward to a meal prepared by the famous chef Hellstrøm himself. I am most honored."

Elsa paused for a few moments, as the wait staff filled the dinner party's wine glasses. "Prince Henrik, may I introduce Arven Skarsgård, Minister of Commerce and Trade, and his wife Hallfrid." Elsa indicated them with her hand, and then moved on, "And Lady Åse Kleveland. She served on my father's council for many years and I am privileged that she now also serves on mine."

Åse raised he wine glass in toast, "To Her Majesty, Queen Elsa. May Arendelle prosper under her long reign." As the guests responded in kind, Elsa could see the elder councilwoman observing and noting the visiting Prince's words and reactions.

"Thank you," Elsa acknowledged, smiling politely towards Lady Kleveland.

"Okay, that's enough of that!" called out Anna excitedly. Looking straight at Henrik, "So, we're all here now, so tell us, why do you want Elsa to freeze your Kingdom?"

Henrik didn't seem taken aback by Anna's sudden directness. He replaced his wine glass back on the table and looked back towards Elsa. "As you said, it will be official tomorrow, but those documents are full of protocol and legalities. I can certainly explain it much more plainly now, if that's acceptable."

Elsa nodded, just as curious about Henrik's request as Anna.

"You are familiar with my kingdom, Liknes?" he began.

"Somewhat," said Elsa. "A modestly sized kingdom on the southern end of the Scandian peninsula, based primarily around the Kvina river valley. Primarily exports are a variety of grains which Arendelle used to import. Currently, your grandfather Herbjørn is king, your father Hergaut is crown prince, and you, as his heir, are second in line of succession."

Henrik folded his hands on the edge of the table, looking somewhat distressed. "Your information is somewhat out of date. My father passed away four years ago, while I was away at university. And so I am now crown prince of Liknes."

"Oh—" gasped Anna. "I'm so sorry." Anna reached over and clutched Elsa's hand, reminded of the pain of their own similar experience.

Henrick nodded in acknowledgement and continued. "As you said, Liknes' primary industry is agricultural. Normally we get generous rains and the network of rivers that feed the Kvina keeps the fields well irrigated. However, seven years ago, the kingdoms on the southern end started experiencing a drought. Normally, this is not a great problem. The snow in our mountains—well, we call them mountains, compared to Arendelle's, they are just hills—the snowmelt feeds the rivers, and there is still water enough to grow the crops, feed the people and the livestock, and still have some for export."

"But through the next year, the drought continued. And that led to less snowpack in the hills to feed the rivers. In fact, during the summer months, the snow fully melted away, leaving the rivers very low, some even dry. Our harvest that year was very poor; not enough to feed the people. Luckily, one of our most faithful trading partners, Wesselton, was quite willing to sell us the grains and other foods we needed. It was a significant hit on the royal treasury, but necessary to keep the people fed."

Henrik paused as the appetizer was served, gravlax, smoked salmon with a dill and mustard sauce served over black bread. Holding up one piece, Henrik declared, "The fishing was not greatly impacted, thankfully, which helped supplement the food supplies." He raised it briefly, as if in toast, and took a bite.

"We had hoped the weather would turn by the next year, but no such luck. Continued drought and little snowpack resulted in the same poor conditions. Again, Wesselton came to our rescue, with food and supplies. We drained what was left in the treasury, but was not enough. But Wesselton kindly _lent_ Liknes the remainder, asking on a few small concessions, advantageous trade agreements and such."

"Then next year was the same, little snow in the winter and poor rain in the summer. The kingdom was now in desperate straits. But again, Wesselton was willing to help, but since the prior loans had not yet been repaid, there would need to be further inducement to extend our credit. And it was at this time that my father took ill and passed away. This devastated grandfather. I was away at school, in Oslo, and would not hear of my father's passing for a week. Father had always worked closely with grandfather on matters of state, but with his loss, grandfather simply agreed to anything Wesselton requested. Preferential negotiating position, their own private docking area in the Liknes ports, even transferring a number of our naval ships to Wesselton's control. Nothing to worry about, of course, as they would continue to patrol the seaways between our two nations."

"The next year, no improvement. Wesselton now requested titles to certain lands, castles, mines in the hills. Our fishing fleets suddenly found themselves regularly beset by raiders, while our patrol ships, or rather _Wesselton's_, were conveniently needed elsewhere and could not help. At this point, the rivers were dry and the farmlands in ruins."

Henrik drained his wineglass, clearly upset by the telling.

"I now returned from university. I would have come back earlier when father passed away, but grandfather insisted that I complete my education, as I had chosen to include a study of agriculture and geology along with my political, economic, and historical studies. Grandfather was despondent, given the loss of father and the condition of the kingdom. I attempted to send messengers to other kingdoms to request assistance, but our entreaties were suspiciously rebuffed, or the messenger seemed to have never arrived. Wesselton's work, of course."

"Two more years, and it has only gotten worse. Anything we had of value has been turned over to Wesselton, and the Duke was now insisting that the court now accept a full time "advisor", who would speak on behalf of the Duke, taking de facto control of the kingdom."

Henrik then faced Elsa directly, a brightness returning to his expression. "But then we heard about the events in Arendelle, of your great magic, and how you discharged the Duke, and it gave us a hope. And, hoping the Duke was sufficiently distracted, I came here to beg for your help."

"And when I heard, shortly after arriving, that the Duke was no more, it was a relief. Half of our kingdom's condition may now be resolved. But as for the rest, my kingdom is still in ruins."

Anna looked around the table. Minister Skarsgård appeared deep in thought, as if performing mental calculations. His wife, however, held a handkerchief to her face, as if to hold back her upset. Elsa's expression was neutral, but Anna now knew that Elsa was also processing Henrik's story. Oddly, Åse Kleveland simply continued sipping her wine, her eyes upon Elsa.

It was finally Elsa, who broke the silence. "And how can my freezing Liknes help. The unseasonal cold would only further damage your fields, will it not? You require rain."

"The fields are already barren at this point, the cold will do it no further harm. And were there a sorcerer with power over the rain, an embodiment of the god Freyr perhaps, we would be trying to enlist his aid, certainly."

Henrik paused again, considering his words. "What I am asking is this. Bring the temperatures of Liknes down to near freezing, then lay perhaps a foot of snow across the land. Keep the temperature just above freezing, so the snow will melt, but slowly. The ground is parched, and strong rain or rapidly melting snow would just wash over and take what little topsoil remains with it. Instead, a slow melt from the snow will allow the land to gradually absorb the water. It is not ideal, of course; regular rainfall over the course of the season would be better, but at this stage we are desperate. After perhaps a week, allow the temperatures to slowly return to normal, and hopefully whatever seed remains in the land will take root and grow. Additionally, rebuilding the snowpack in the hills. We need to regain a reserve in the heights to feed our rivers, and through them irrigate the land. Is this something you can do for us?"

* * *

The room had grown distinctly cold and quiet, only the sounds of the servants delivering the main course breaking the nervous silence. Anna could feel the icy pressure from Elsa hand which she still held.

"I believe," started Lady Åse, "that we should allow Her Majesty some time to—"

"I'll do it." Elsa's voice broke through like ice cracking. Then, more mildly, "If I can. I've never used my powers at such a scale before, but if I can do it, I will help you and your kingdom."

"Thank you," said Henrik, visibly appearing relieved. "We can begin writing up the treaty for the transfer of sovereignty as soon as you have officially received our petition. Grandfather supplied me with documentation affording me the power to negotiate on the kingdom's behalf as well as his seal—"

"There is no need," interrupted Elsa. "I am happy to do it just for the future friendship between our kingdoms."

"Actually, Your Majesty, I must insist," countered Henrik.

"Huh?" Anna jumped in. "You _want_ to give up being your own kingdom? Why?"

"Well, first of all, we have nothing left in trade. Wesselton has already removed everything of value that we could negotiate with, leaving us nothing for payment but the crown itself."

"Again, I do not require any payment," Elsa repeated.

"And while we appreciate Your Majesty's generosity, there is more. We would also have your full commitment to Liknes. You could do this for us this year, but then, what if the drought continues, and it is needed again, but due to considerations with whatever new power rises in Wesselton, the Southern Isles, or elsewhere, it becomes politically inconvenient to do so. Liknes would just fall back to the hard times it is now suffering."

"However," Henrik continued, "if Liknes were to join with Arendelle, you would not refuse to repeat your efforts. Liknes would not be another kingdom, but a duchy within the greater Arendelle. The people of Liknes would be _your_ people, the lands of Liknes _your_ lands. It would be your duty as our monarch to serve us in the same way you do the original Arendelle."

"Wow," said Anna. "That's something."

"Yes," agreed Elsa, giving Anna's hand a final squeeze before letting go, "It is something."

"Your Majesty," Minister Skarsgård spoke up, "Perhaps this matter would be best addressed by yourself and the royal council."

Elsa turned to the more elderly councilwoman. "Lady Kleveland, do you agree?"

"Oh, certainly, Your Majesty," she responded. "There are many interesting aspects to this proposal that merit discussion."

"Very well. Let us put aside any further discussion of the matter. Until then, let's just enjoy the dinner."


	33. Chapter 33 - Contractual Obligations

**Chapter 33 – Contractual Obligations**

"Gentlemen, Lady Kleveland, thank you for coming. I have passed the document to you for your review and I would appreciate your counsel on this matter."

It was the morning of the third day since Elsa's return from the North Mountain. On the second day, the _Liknes Proposal_, as it was now being referred, had been formally presented by Crown Prince Henrik of the selfsame kingdom to the Court of Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

She had held court before, twice now since her coronation, to hear the supplications of her subjects; but that was considered low court. This was the first matter requiring the full ceremony of her office, in that she was meeting with royalty of another kingdom. Guards in formal attire, court crier, full ceremonial costume. Elsa had sat in the now anachronistically named King's Throne, and Anna had even attended, at Elsa's request, as heir apparent, sitting in the Queen's Throne.

It was mostly a formality. Prince Henrik had already laid out his request during the previous night's dinner, and word had already spread across the city. But such high matters required formality.

It was a lengthy document, full of much of the standard verbiage for treaties. Her father had assigned Elsa to read many such documents during her education, both those of Arendelle and of other kingdoms, and so Elsa felt herself well versed in the forms and protocol for such matters. The meat of matter was just as Henrick had described: Liknes becomes part of Arendelle, and thus Elsa becomes its queen; she is then to use whatever means she has to alleviate its hardship, i.e. use her magic to save her new kingdom. The rest of it was just the details. Liknes was a much larger kingdom than Arendelle, and was partitioned into multiple jurisdictions, and had its corresponding aristocracy, all of which would require some amount of redefinition as part of a greater Arendelle, much of which was described in specific detail.

After her review, the proposal was then turned over to her counsel. Yakob Lefferson, her secretary, was able to summon a team of scribes at short notice to produce several copies of the proposal, so it would not be necessary for her to relinquish the original.

"A matter of great import, Your Majesty," offered High Priest Jaegerhold. "A decision not to be taken lightly."

Admiral Ørsted stood up, his moustache twitching, "Indeed, it would be a significant increase in responsibility. Liknes, at this time, has no standing naval forces. Whether the vessels surrendered to Wesselton can be reclaimed will take some time to resolve. In the meanwhile, our ships would be stretched well beyond their capacity. And due to Liknes' greater size and location, it has, or had, a more significant army, which would need to be reconstructed, and quickly. Liknes' instability, both now and during any transition of sovereignty, will like embolden other kingdoms to lay claim to territory, which must be defended."

"I take it, then, that you do not recommend accepting this proposal?" said Elsa.

"On the contrary, Your Majesty, it is imperative that you do accept this proposal. To reject it will be perceived as weakness and will invite hostile interests to take action. King Yorril had pursued an activist foreign policy, forming many bonds and alliances, as needed for a small kingdom. King Agdar's policy of isolation, as well meaning as it may have been, Your Majesty, presented an image of docility, and it was only through the redoubled efforts to protect our merchant fleet and borders was Arendelle able to maintain peace."

"I say, that's quite a one-sided interpretation," spoke up Minister Skarsgård towards the Admiral. "King Agdar's continued emphasis on trade and commerce were critical in maintaining our inter-kingdom relationships." He turned back towards Elsa. "However, I must agree. Arendelle has only just started the process of re-establishing inter-kingdom relationships. To refuse this offer will give the appearance of resuming the policy of isolation. Had King Agdar's policies continued uninterrupted with Your Majesty's elevation, the kingdom could likely have continued its quiet existence for some years yet. However, given the events surrounding Your Majesty's coronation, and the political repercussions, Arendelle cannot be perceived as withdrawing from the world stage. While Wesselton's instability may temporarily halt its aggression, we cannot predict the intentions of whatever power will take control, or that of its allies without the Duke's guidance. And we do not know the position of the Southern Isles, with their significant naval forces and mercantile reach. Arendelle must maintain its appearance of strength, both of the kingdom, and now, of yourself."

"And joining with Liknes has can have a significant economic advantage," Minister Skarsgård continued. "Once it has recovered from its drought, whether through natural changes in the weather or Your Majesty's intervention, it opens numerous new markets for Arendelle. Liknes would be a ready market for Arendelle's ice, metals, and finished goods, now traded without customs. And Liknes' potential agricultural production is significant, create a large and robust portfolio of exports for the combined Arendelle-Liknes."

"I see…" Elsa shifted in the throne uncomfortably. She turned to Stoltenberg, "Guildmaster?"

The man shrugged. "It's work, Your Majesty, work for the guildsmen and others. Liknes will need more ships, Arendelle will need more ships, that's work for the shipwrights, and the craftsmen of all guilds."

Elsa nodded. She had expected a bit more controversy, more argument. She turned towards the High Priest.

"Your Majesty," he began, "the Aesir have bestowed upon you a great gift. A people have come requesting their beneficence, I do not see how, in good conscience, they could be refused."

"Not all believe my power come from the gods," Elsa countered resignedly.

"Then this is an opportunity for you to prove that you are in their service. I am not advising this lightly, Your Majesty. The power you possess has not been seen in centuries, and those who held it cannot be said to have been of good will. The admiral and trade minister have advised showing strength. I advise showing compassion."

After a moment's silence, Lady Kleveland finally spoke up.

"I am somewhat surprised, Your Majesty, that you would be willing to do this thing. It does seem a bit precipitous."

"To be honest, I don't know that I can do it. I have never used my power to such an extent. When I froze Arendelle, it was an accident, I had never meant to do what I did. And when I created my ice palace up on the North Mountain, and expanded it as I just did, it _was_ a great use of my powers, but it was very localized. Liknes is a large kingdom; I don't know that I can use my power over so great an area."

Lady Kleveland opened her mouth in surprise. "Oh, I didn't mean that. In matters of magic, I am sure there are those who have some experience you can talk to. You seem to be gathering a cohort of them right here in this castle. No, no, not that. I was referring to the marriage."

Elsa sat bolt upright. "What?"

"Yes, I had thought you would take some time to establish your regime as Queen Regnant first, before taking a husband. Wouldn't want the world to think you were dependent on some man. Still, it is your choice."

"_What_ marriage?!"

"You and Prince Henrik, to join the kingdoms." She flipped a few pages over and pointed to a paragraph. "Yes, it's right here in the proposal."

"Oh, fuck."

* * *

"I can't believe I missed it!"

Elsa had worn clear a short path in the snow that now covered her bedroom floor with her pacing.

"Elsa—" Anna tried, now for the third time, to interrupt her sister's self-directed diatribe, still unsuccessfully.

"All the years I've been studying, all the reading, all the research, and at the first real negotiation, I mess it up!"

"Elsa—"

"And what kind of queen do they see me as now, I'm such a fool to miss something so important." Whereupon Elsa flopped face down on her bed.

Finally seeing an opportunity, Anna jumped in. "It couldn't have been that bad. It was buried in all the mumbo-jumbo part of the proposal, right?"

When there was no response, Anna continued, "Besides, I saw it too, '_joined by blood_.' I just thought it was part of an old Viking ceremony, you know, where you and Henrik would cut your hands to make them bleed a bit and shake hands, right?"

Still no response.

Anna crossed her arms and grinned triumphantly. "Anyway, I have it on good authority that 'you can't marry a man you just met.'"

A noise now came from the bed, unintelligible through the pillows and snow.

"What's that?" said Anna, taunting.

Elsa rolled onto her side, now facing Anna directly. "_You_ can't marry a man you just met, but _I_ can."

Anna dropped her smile. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Elsa pushed herself up to a sitting position on her bed, brushing some snow off of her dress skirt. "It's Arendelle law. If you, as a princess, had wanted to marry a prince, or more often, it had been _arranged_ for you to marry a prince, there would be a lengthy period of time before it would actually happen. The joining of royalty of two kingdoms is considered a _Marriage Treaty_, and all the details would have to be worked out diplomatically, and that takes time. At least a year, sometimes more."

"Oh. So when I came to you with Hans and said we wanted to get married and you said we couldn't, it wasn't because of love or that he was a total _drittsekk_, it was because of that."

Elsa nodded and then slipped off the bed to her feet. Feeling a bit more collected, she began dispelling the accumulation from the room.

Anna waiting until Elsa was finished, then continued, "So what do you mean _you_ can? Wouldn't a treaty for marrying a queen be even more complicated? And take even more time?"

"Normally, yes, that's exactly right. But again, in Arendelle law, there's a special stipulation that the monarch, under conditions of extreme exigency, may dismiss the required interval and may proceed with the marriage immediately. Now, the specifics of the extreme exigency are not specifically listed, but were typically considered for two situations. First, an unmarried King fathering a child with another royal; if they can be wedded before the birth of the child, all the better as it will not require formal proclamations of acknowledgement and such."

"Very romantic," Anna commented sarcastically. "And the other?"

"The threat of violence or military action. Suppose an invading force has landed in Arendelle, and their leader says that I must marry their king or prince, otherwise they will rampage across the kingdom, burning homes and slaughtering the people. Our naval forces destroyed and our armies few, I would have no choice if I was to save my people."

Anna stood still, mouth agape. "That's horrible! But you could just use your powers and freeze them all, you wouldn't have to do that."

"The law wasn't written with me in mind, just normal kings and queens. The gods be praised, it has never been required."

"But neither of those things are going on."

"The law doesn't saw it has to be Arendelle that is under extreme exigency. The people of Liknes are starving. He may have connived them into beggary, but Wesselton provided them food. Without that support gone, Liknes will soon run out of sustenance, and many people will die. How can I allow that to happen?"

"But do you have to _marry_ him? Can't you just go there and do the magic?"

"Of course, I could. But Prince Henrik is right, too. He needs the assurance that Arendelle will continue to support Liknes over time, and the best way to get that is to join with Arendelle. That requires a treaty with the corresponding commitments, and marriage treaty has always been the strongest. He'd be foolish to not insist on it."

Anna bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "I don't know. Do you even want to get married? Henrik or whoever."

Elsa sat back down on her bed dejectedly. "I never really thought about it like that. It didn't matter if I _wanted_ to get married; as a princess, Papa would find me a prince and when we were old enough, we would get married. You too, of course."

Elsa continued, "But then I also knew that because of my powers, it would be too dangerous for me to get married. I couldn't control my powers; I would hurt him. I wouldn't even be able to touch him, without risking freezing him. What kind of marriage is that? I certainly would never be able to produce an heir, never touching my husband."

Elsa raised one hand up and produced a swirl of snowflakes. "But now it's different. My powers aren't dangerous to anyone," she grinned mischievously, "unless I want them to be," and sprayed Anna with a sudden light snowy mist, to her sister's laughter. "So, I guess a marriage is _possible_. But do I want it? I don't know."

Brushing the new snow out of her hair, Anna responded, "Well, if you're considering it, then I'll help you figure it out. You and the council will deal with the negotiations. Hey, what happened with the meeting?"

Elsa twisted her mouth, contritely. "I just ended it and asked them all to come back tomorrow. Then ran to my room."

"Fine. You and the council can work on the treaty. I'll work on Henrik. You got to at least _like_ each other if you're going to get married, right? Well, that'll be my job."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

now now Elsa, _language..._ do I need to up the maturity rating of the story? meh, my kids have heard worse in school.

_drittsekk - _Norweigan for "asshole"


End file.
